January 17, 2015 - 9:02am
Independent Study about Bread in History
Hi! I'm a junior in college and I'm doing an independent study this semester about the cultural history of bread. I'm particularly interested in the role bread has played in social movements; i.e. bread riots, but I'd also like to look at examples in which people have used bread to build stronger communities and to address social and economic inequalities in their lives. Does anyone have recommendations of books or articles I could use for my independent study? I think "6000 years of bread" seems great, but I've had trouble finding more specific sources on bread riots (especially in the French, Russian, Egyptian Revolutions). Any other recommendations of academic sources about bread would be highly appreciated. Thanks!
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Hi there-
That's a big topic! In terms of Europe, one go to author is the French historian Steve Kaplan. His earlier academic work focuses on social history of bread and grain in 17th and 18th centuries, with more recent material on the vagaries of bread in France in postwar years. His latest book "Good Bread Is Back" is probably the most accessible of his works. I'd recommend using your college library's databases (Jstor, academic search premier, etc) to look for shorter articles. On bread riots in Europe, there is a ton out there, mainly dealing with the nature of preindustrial popular culture.
Another point of entry could be less from social history than food studies: there's now a lot of work on the many facets of food-power relationship and how food has become a new kind of salvation/antidote for anxieties of postmodern West. Journals like Gastronomica might be could places to scour.
If you're interests are less Eurocentric and modern, environmental history is teeming with interesting accounts of the role of food systems in shaping landscapes and societies.
Hope this helps!
Marseille ( European historian who'd rather be baking)
by Daniel Wing and the late Alan Scott. In amongst the wealth of information on bread itself, and brick ovens in particular, you will find Alan Scott. His interest in bread, and especially in ovens, was tied directly to his strong desire to build up the sense of community, wherever he went. He even went so far as to offer deep discounts for building ovens as community accessible projects as compared to strictly private ones. He is credited with being instrumental in the revival of artisan bread baking in the United States (at the least). This book was instrumental in my own passion for baking bread, and even led to the building of my own "earth" oven in the back yard. Some of the bread "intelligence" is, perhaps, a bit dated, but it is still an excellent read, and Alan Scott was an amazing man, blacksmith, baker and oven builder.
Best of luck with your research
OldWoodenSpoon