Christiane Berth – författare

Food policy and practices varied widely in Nicaragua during the last decades of the twentieth century. In the 1970s and ‘80s, food scarcity contributed to the demise of the Somoza dictatorship and the Sandinista revolution. Although faced with widespread scarcity and political restrictions, Nicaraguan consumers still carved out spaces for defining their food choices. Despite economic crises, rationing, and war limiting peoples’ food selection, consumers responded with improvisation in daily cooking practices and organizing food exchanges through three distinct periods. First, the Somoza dictatorship (1936–1979) promoted culture and food practices from the United States, which was an option only for a minority of citizens. Second, the 1979 Sandinista revolution tried to steer Nicaraguans away from mass consumption by introducing an austere, frugal consumption that favored local products. Third, the transition to democracy between 1988 and 1993, marked by extreme scarcity and economic crisis, witnessed the re-introduction of market mechanisms, mass advertising, and imported goods. Despite the erosion of food policy during transition, the Nicaraguan revolution contributed to recognizing food security as a basic right and the rise of peasant movements for food sovereignty.

Taking a global perspective to the computer age reveals how work, gender, and emotions have shaped its history. Since the 1960s, workplaces have been key sites for the introduction of computers, transforming organizations, future imaginaries, and perceptions of self and others. Yet, contrary to dominant narratives, this process was neither smooth nor universally welcomed. Workers and organizations responded in diverse ways, forming distinct emotional communities amid profound change. Across eight chapters, case studies from Europe, Asia, and Latin America offer new insights into the global computer age and invite reflection on our present relationship with technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and ongoing workplace transformations.

Coffee was a major commodity and a precious consumer good in the 20th century. The anthology examines connections and contradictions along the global commodity chain from production to trade and consumption, focusing on indigenous harvest workers in Mexico, Costa Rican smallholders, importers in Hamburg, roasters, consumers and Fair Trade activists as historical actors. The countries dealt with in the contributions range from Central America through Hamburg and both German states to India, Ethiopia and Brazil. The international team of authors presents new research results on the economic, social and cultural history of coffee.