Calling caffeine lovers

University of Hertfordshire (UK)

7th December 2004

Professor Jonathan Morris, who joined the School of Humanities at the university in September 2004, has an intriguing area of research – one in which he would like colleagues and local residents to become involved.

Professor Morris's research project is "The Cappuccino Conquests: A Transnational History of Italian Coffee". He explained, "This research is being funded by the AHRB/ESRC as part of the Cultures of Consumption Programme. I am studying the spread of espresso-based drinks such as cappuccino from the introduction of Gaggia's coffee machine in 1948 to their current global prominence. The project analyses the reasons for Italian coffee's increasing popularity, the variations in cultures of consumption across different national markets, and the extent that these drinks are still seen as 'Italian' despite their appropriation by American multi-national coffee chains."

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