Scott K. Taylor

This project assesses the ways in which Europeans wrestled with their growing dependence on habit-forming commodities. Between 1500 and 1800, new and exotic goods like sugar, chocolate, tobacco, coffee, tea, gin, rum, and opium all became routinely consumed, and the domestication of these “soft” drugs was a trend that joined together several important changes that Europe underwent during this period, including the growth of overseas empires and trade, the consumer revolution, and changes in sociability and manners. The project focuses especially on how consumers understood their experiences with mood-altering drugs, how these commodities shaped social interaction, and how Europeans understood addiction.