Written by: Julie Walsh/Contributing writer
The Sociology, Anthropology and Geography Graduate Student Association will host a presentation on a topic that has surrounded human civilization for ages: sugar.
As part of the third colloquium, SAGGSA will host a presentation by a history professor titled “Sugar and Civilization: American Empire and the Cultural Politics of Sweetness.”
SAGGSA, a governmental student body for master and doctoral students enrolled in the Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies, seeks to promote networking and enhancement in the fields of sociology, anthropology and geography, according to their website.
“It’s the practice of colloquium for graduate students and for faculty to bring in people who have expertise in a particular area that students or faculty might have interest in,” said Roderick P. Neumann, professor and chairperson of the Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies.
The event, to be held Friday, Dec. 4, will feature a presentation by April Merleaux, a professor in the history department who teaches courses on the late 19th and 20th centuries.
Merleaux will tell the story of sugar from the Spanish American War and will analyze how people in the United States came to eat so much sugar, and what it meant for them, according to the flyer.
“I definitely find it interesting that something as simple and everyday as sugar has had such huge implications in our history,” said Anthony Padura, freshman majoring in communication of arts.
Jorge Leon, junior majoring in public relations, agrees with Padura.
“The topic is very intriguing,” he said. “I’ve never really known about the connection between sugar and civilization. It’s crazy how we as American’s once found sugar as a reward and now it’s something very common.”
Merleaux is expected to talk about how the cultural logic of connecting imperial, trade and immigration policies was the same that triggered new habits of sugar consumption in the United States and its territories.
“It’s interesting how there is a connection between cross-cultural trading and how it led to the understanding of military and diplomatic intervention to sugar consumption,” said Leon.
According to the event flyer, Merleaux will discuss how race and civilizations shaped sugar markets, due to the fact that government policies and business practices hinged on the racial characteristics of the people who worked the land and consumed its products.
Neumann said the colloquiums are an opportunity “to talk about the research of the graduate students, what they’ve learned, and answer questions about it.”
“I think it could be important because the sugar market was a huge part of the US market back then, and still is today. And knowing about it can give us greater insight into how we use sugar today,” said Andre Marin, freshman majoring in biomedical engineering.
The event will be held Friday, Dec. 4 at 3 p.m. in Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs 502.
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Image by: Uwe Hermann, courtesy of Creative Commons
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