Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-swr86 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-22T20:45:27.606Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Introduction

History through a Wine Glass – Empire, Slavery and Microbes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 March 2024

Paul Nugent
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh
Get access

Summary

The introduction sets out the main themes and provides a historical background to the core of the book. There is, firstly, a discussion of how the planting of the vine was shaped by larger imperial dynamics under the Dutch East India Company and subsequently under British rule. It addresses the transition from slavery to a form of labour that was nominally free. Secondly, there is an analysis of the relative importance of the domestic and imperial markets and the manner in which British duties shaped the Cape wine industry. And thirdly, the chapter provides an account of the increased importance of wine science concerned with managing the fermentation process and dealing with diseases. The phylloxera crisis is shown to be a turning point, not least with respect to South Africa’s engagement with international scientific opinion. The career of A.I. Perold unfolds as part of that story. The chapter concludes by identifying some of the challenges that were faced during the research and how the project evolved to take account of what was possible. The introduction alludes to work that deploys Pierre Bourdieu’s conception of fields, and justifies its decision not to go down that route.

Type
Chapter
Information
Race, Taste and the Grape
South African Wine from a Global Perspective
, pp. 1 - 36
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • Introduction
  • Paul Nugent, University of Edinburgh
  • Book: Race, Taste and the Grape
  • Online publication: 16 March 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009184274.004
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Introduction
  • Paul Nugent, University of Edinburgh
  • Book: Race, Taste and the Grape
  • Online publication: 16 March 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009184274.004
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
  • Paul Nugent, University of Edinburgh
  • Book: Race, Taste and the Grape
  • Online publication: 16 March 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009184274.004
Available formats
×