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Alcohol and the Ambivalence of the Early English East India Company-State

Publication ,  Journal Article
Stern, PJ
Published in: Historical Journal
February 1, 2022

This article explores the various roles that alcohol played in defining the governance of East India Company fortifications and settlements in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. It argues that, much like elsewhere in Europe, Asia, and the colonial world, alcohol was absolutely crucial to political and social life, as well as a source of great revenue and profit for both the Company and individuals who worked for it. At the same time, it was a cause of immense anxiety and concern for Company government, which understood the use (and overuse) of alcohol as a principal sign of potential disorder and disobedience. Far from a contradiction, this ambivalence towards alcohol formed a foundation for a variety of regulatory instruments, from tavern licences to taxation, that were crucial to the establishment of early Company governance and a prime reflection of the Company's very own ambivalent nature as both merchant and sovereign.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

Historical Journal

DOI

EISSN

1469-5103

ISSN

0018-246X

Publication Date

February 1, 2022

Volume

65

Issue

1

Start / End Page

185 / 201

Related Subject Headings

  • History
  • 4303 Historical studies
  • 2103 Historical Studies
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Stern, P. J. (2022). Alcohol and the Ambivalence of the Early English East India Company-State. Historical Journal, 65(1), 185–201. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0018246X21000236
Stern, P. J. “Alcohol and the Ambivalence of the Early English East India Company-State.” Historical Journal 65, no. 1 (February 1, 2022): 185–201. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0018246X21000236.
Stern PJ. Alcohol and the Ambivalence of the Early English East India Company-State. Historical Journal. 2022 Feb 1;65(1):185–201.
Stern, P. J. “Alcohol and the Ambivalence of the Early English East India Company-State.” Historical Journal, vol. 65, no. 1, Feb. 2022, pp. 185–201. Scopus, doi:10.1017/S0018246X21000236.
Stern PJ. Alcohol and the Ambivalence of the Early English East India Company-State. Historical Journal. 2022 Feb 1;65(1):185–201.
Journal cover image

Published In

Historical Journal

DOI

EISSN

1469-5103

ISSN

0018-246X

Publication Date

February 1, 2022

Volume

65

Issue

1

Start / End Page

185 / 201

Related Subject Headings

  • History
  • 4303 Historical studies
  • 2103 Historical Studies