Gum Arabic

The Golden Tears of the Acacia Tree

Häftad, Engelska, 2019

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Gum Arabic has been seen as a symbol of the “noble Orient” and later as a symbol of trouble. It is the hardened sap of varieties of acacia trees which grow exclusively in the Sahel, an area stretching across the African continent just south of the Sahara. From the time of the Crusades, when Europeans purchased it in Arab countries, it has played an ever-growing role in the global economy. It is now a common ingredient in foods, sodas, and cosmetics. Combining cultural history with travel writing, Dorrit van Dalen follows the fascinating history and shifting meanings assigned to gum Arabic from Shakespeare to Bin Laden and from the Industrial Revolution to a veteran of a recent coup d’état in Chad. She shows that both Western and African civilisations would not be the same without these tears of the acacia.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2019-03-12
Mått135 x 210 x undefined mm
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor204
FörlagLeiden University Press
ISBN9789087283360

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Preface I Lustre Precious jewels It makes your hair curl Tears of the acacia Gum, balm and resin II Modest gum Glue Ink The best gum sticks to the teeth III Noble gum Rubens’ portrait Healing properties Othello’s plea To Timbuctoo IV Wealth of Nations Nothing but the pain Nixon’s secret Free trade or privilege All anomaly! V The gum wars of the eighteenth century The stakes Brüe and A.li Shanzura Floating watchmen Cumming and A.mar ould A.li Shanzura VI Mystère et boule de gomme Far from here These barbarous meetings A battle of cunning and fraud Impotence and prestige Saint-Louis VII Sudan: the roller-coaster Do the world a favour I saw a man in El Obeid The promised land Manna from heaven VIII Chad: the idea of kitir Purity and danger Land rights and religion The inner circle Arabian nights IX Intangible tears Definitions To stock or to substitute Botany Chemistry Bibliography Index