Tobacco Through Time
Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Will be published approx. on 5. February 2026
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-350-51052-4 (ISBN)
Description
Throughout human history there are arguably few plants that have had such a significant impact on the lives of people as tobacco. Yet, despite its unparalleled dissemination across human societies, histories of the plant, its use and impact have been dominated by Western European experiences, and based upon a relatively narrow span of sources and records. This open access collection readdresses this imbalance, showcasing a range of interdisciplinary approaches to decentre unilinear, Western and economically-focused accounts of tobacco.
From archaeological analysis of bone and dental records, to anthropological considerations of material culture and historical investigations into tobacco's role in the expansion of colonial power and the slave trade, this book employs a range of methods and sources to broaden our understanding of the impact of tobacco on health, population, genetics, consumption, economics, trade, gender and ethnicity. With case studies in North Africa, India and Sri Lanka alongside the Americas and Europe, it seeks to broaden perspectives on the use of tobacco beyond the West, and combine disciplinary methods to better assess its enduring impact on our species.
The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on
bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by UKRI.
From archaeological analysis of bone and dental records, to anthropological considerations of material culture and historical investigations into tobacco's role in the expansion of colonial power and the slave trade, this book employs a range of methods and sources to broaden our understanding of the impact of tobacco on health, population, genetics, consumption, economics, trade, gender and ethnicity. With case studies in North Africa, India and Sri Lanka alongside the Americas and Europe, it seeks to broaden perspectives on the use of tobacco beyond the West, and combine disciplinary methods to better assess its enduring impact on our species.
The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on
bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by UKRI.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Illustrations
10 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
581 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-51052-4 (9781350510524)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Sarah Inskip is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow in the School of Archaeology and Ancient History at University of Leicester, UK. A bioarchaeologist she specialises in the analysis of human skeletal remains and her current research assesses the impact of tobacco on the lives of British and Dutch populations from 1600-1900.
Jason Hughes is Professor of Sociology at University of Leicester, UK. An elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Science and appointed Member of the European Academy, his research centres on problematized consumption (e.g. substance use) and production (e.g. work).
Jason Hughes is Professor of Sociology at University of Leicester, UK. An elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Science and appointed Member of the European Academy, his research centres on problematized consumption (e.g. substance use) and production (e.g. work).
Content
Introduction. Sarah Inskip and Jason Hughes.
Part I: Bodies and Health Entanglements
Investigating the long-term consequences of tobacco on health in England and Western Europe. Sarah Inskip and Anna Davies-Barrett. Sacred Plant to Global Crisis: Tobacco's Deep History in the Americas. Shannon Tushingham and Mario Zimmermann. Not all smokes are the same: Exploring the variability of tobacco and its significance in Early Modern and Modern England (1560-1850). Sarah Inskip, Anna Davies-Barrett, Diego Badillo-Sanchez and Maria Serrano-Ruber. Genetics of smoking behaviours. Kayesha Coley and Chiara Batini.
Part II: Power and Practices
Tobacco and Colonialism - Teaching Tobacco History through a Decolonising Lens. Andrew Russell. Tobacco, Social Practices and Legal Depositions in Early Modern England. Phil Withington. Remaking Tobacco in Colonial Twentieth Century India. Cheri J Kuncheria.
Part III: Indigenous Traditions and Global Dissemination
Othering Spain through tobacco, 1750-1830. Rosemary Sweet and Richard Ansell. Beyond the 'Colonial' Cigarette: A Short History of the Major 'Indigenous' tobacco products in India (1600-1900). Upendra Bhojani, Sreenidhi Sreekumar, Pranay Lal. The role of "non-standard" tobacco products in everyday life: the use of nargila in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the centuries. Omer Merzic Tobacco and Empire in the Americas. Melissa N. Morris.
Conclusions. Jason Hughes and Sarah Inskip
Part I: Bodies and Health Entanglements
Investigating the long-term consequences of tobacco on health in England and Western Europe. Sarah Inskip and Anna Davies-Barrett. Sacred Plant to Global Crisis: Tobacco's Deep History in the Americas. Shannon Tushingham and Mario Zimmermann. Not all smokes are the same: Exploring the variability of tobacco and its significance in Early Modern and Modern England (1560-1850). Sarah Inskip, Anna Davies-Barrett, Diego Badillo-Sanchez and Maria Serrano-Ruber. Genetics of smoking behaviours. Kayesha Coley and Chiara Batini.
Part II: Power and Practices
Tobacco and Colonialism - Teaching Tobacco History through a Decolonising Lens. Andrew Russell. Tobacco, Social Practices and Legal Depositions in Early Modern England. Phil Withington. Remaking Tobacco in Colonial Twentieth Century India. Cheri J Kuncheria.
Part III: Indigenous Traditions and Global Dissemination
Othering Spain through tobacco, 1750-1830. Rosemary Sweet and Richard Ansell. Beyond the 'Colonial' Cigarette: A Short History of the Major 'Indigenous' tobacco products in India (1600-1900). Upendra Bhojani, Sreenidhi Sreekumar, Pranay Lal. The role of "non-standard" tobacco products in everyday life: the use of nargila in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the centuries. Omer Merzic Tobacco and Empire in the Americas. Melissa N. Morris.
Conclusions. Jason Hughes and Sarah Inskip