Books > History > African history
|
Buy Now
A Workman Is Worthy of His Meat - Food and Colonialism in the Gabon Estuary (Paperback)
Loot Price: R775
Discovery Miles 7 750
|
|
A Workman Is Worthy of His Meat - Food and Colonialism in the Gabon Estuary (Paperback)
Series: France Overseas: Studies in Empire and Decolonization
Expected to ship within 10 - 15 working days
|
In Libreville, the capital of the African nation of Gabon, the
colonial past has evolved into a present indelibly marked by
colonial rule and ongoing French influence. This is especially
evident in areas as essential to life as food. In this complex,
hybrid culinary culture of Libreville, croissants are as readily
available as plantains. Yet this same culinary diversity is
accompanied by high prices and a scarcity of locally made food that
is bewildering to residents and visitors alike. A staggering
two-thirds of the country's food is imported from outside Gabon,
making Libreville's cost of living comparable to that of Tokyo and
Paris. In this compelling study of food culture and colonialism,
Jeremy Rich explores how colonial rule intimately shaped African
life and how African townspeople developed creative ways of coping
with colonialism as European expansion threatened African
self-sufficiency. From colonization in the 1840s through
independence, Libreville struggled with problems of food scarcity
resulting from the legacy of Atlantic slavery, the violence of
colonial conquest, and the rise of the timber export industry.
Marriage disputes, racial tensions, and worker unrest often
centered on food, and townspeople employed varied tactics to combat
its scarcity. Ultimately, imports emerged as the solution and have
had a lasting impact on Gabon's culinary culture and economy.
Fascinating and informative, "A Workman Is Worthy of His Meat"
engages a new avenue of historical inquiry in examining the culture
of food as part of the colonial experience and resonates with the
questions of globalization dominating culinary economics today.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
|
|
Email address subscribed successfully.
A activation email has been sent to you.
Please click the link in that email to activate your subscription.