Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: New Books in Anthropology
Episode: John O'Brien, "States of Intoxication: The Place of Alcohol in Civilisation" (Routledge, 2018)
Description: Is alcohol a universal feature of human society? Why is problematic in some countries and not others? How was alcohol helped build the modern state? These are just a few of the questions that sociologist John O'Brien addresses in States of Intoxication: The Place of Alcohol in Civilisation(Routledge, 2018). His book offers a broad and diverse perspective on alcohol use and suggests that booze has been an important element in developing communities and building up tax bases. In the era of "superpubs" and microbreweries, O'Brien lends insight into contemporary discussions around alcohol.Lucas Richert is an associate...