851-0101-36L  Drugs and Empires: Perspectives on the Trade, Consumption and Control of Intoxicants (c. 1700-2000)

SemesterSpring Semester 2017
LecturersH. Fischer-Tiné
Periodicitynon-recurring course
Language of instructionEnglish
CommentNumber of participants limited to 30


AbstractThe course will look at the historical trajectory of the interaction between the politics of colonial or quasi-colonial empires and the cultivation, trade, and consumption of mood altering substances (c.1750-2000). Apart from the economic aspects of trafficking, cultural and social consequences of production and consumption on both sides of the imperial divide are put under scrutiny.
ObjectiveThe course aims at providing historical background knowledge regarding the controversies on international drug trafficking and the fight against it. It is designed to enhance the students' capability to deconstruct normative discourses, thus fostering their analytical skills and sharpening their critical acumen. This does not only relate to the problems of a mere historical nature, as the topic under study still is of critical relevance today.