Brad Weiss

COFFEE BREAKS
AND COFFEE
CONNECTIONS
About the Author
I1. Brad Weiss is a Professor of Anthropology at the
College of William & Mary,
2. He received his PhD in 1992, from the University of
Chicago.
3. One of Weiss's notable contributions lies in his
exploration of the intersections between culture and
ecology.
4. Weiss's work also extends to the realm of
globalization, where he has examined the social and
economic impacts of interconnectedness on diverse
communities around the world.
5. His work stands as a testament to the importance
of interdisciplinary scholarship in addressing the
multifaceted challenges facing contemporary
societies.
Coffee production in Kagera
Bahaya, part of Tanzania's Kagera Region, transitioned from clear social classes under kings to a
coffee-based economy since the early 1900s.
White Fathers introduced arabica coffee plants in 1904, leading to a mandate for Haya people
to grow and sell coffee for taxes from 1911.
Haya farmers profited during high coffee prices, with exports surging from 234 tons in 1905 to
over 12,000 tons in 1939.
Today, coffee remains the primary income source for most Haya families, with a small group
controlling the majority of sales.
The trading system in the 1920s accentuated class differences, and illegal trading persists,
impacting cash flow and planning.
Cash-driven practices affect long-term planning and perceptions of time, complicating future
predictions.
Community responses vary, with some appreciating traders for immediate cash access while
others critique them for exacerbating harm.
Coffee Marketing in Kagera
Coffee marketing in Kagera involves balancing intimacy and distance in social
interactions and spatial arrangements.
Local discussions about coffee often reference quantities in terms of vehicles, such as
"one lorry" or "three cars" of coffee, reflecting its link to transportation and the broader
economy.
Coffee trees are intentionally planted away from the main house on Haya farms, while
banana plants, crucial for daily meals, are grown closer to the house.
Despite agricultural policies promoting separate coffee plots, many Haya farmers
intercrop coffee with bananas to maintain a balance between closeness (association
with staple crops) and distance (as a commodity for sale).
The distinction between coffee types (arabica for cooperatives and robusta for local use
or sale) is ambiguous, with robusta coffee often integrated into family farms to control
its usage and marketing.
Spatial arrangements highlight the complex interplay between different coffee purposes
and types within the local farming landscape of Kagera.
COFFEE AND SOCIALITY
Coffee and its profound significance within the
socio-cultural fabric of the Haya communities.

Analyses pre-colonial culture and the political

economy, Weiss highlights that coffee was more
than just a beverage. Okuzinga rituals -
symbolized the provision and attainment of
correct pathways.

Coffee was deeply ingrained in the daily rituals

and social interactions of the Haya people.

Coffee wasn't merely a commodity but a sacred

bond between individuals and their land

Coffee was considered as the essence of life itself. Coffee trees

were associated with the well-being of those who cultivated and
inherited them, and their death was an omen of their owner's death.
COFFEE AND SOCIALITY
Robusta coffee cherries, known as akamwani,
were not just a treat but a gesture of hospitality,
symbolizing kinship, common clanship, and
spatial orientation.

Coffee bridges insiders and outsiders, fostering

relationships and transforming strangers into
friends while maintaining household integrity.

Coffee was not meant to fill bellies like a Haya

meal, but to bring warmth and fellowship to
hearts, unlike the traditional household meal.

The act of serving coffee highlights the complex nature of social

relationships, transforming outsiders into guests and asserting a
relationship but not an identity between giver and receiver..
COFFEE AND THE WESTERN WORLD
Coffee serves as a translocal medium, situating Haya
communities within the wider world and connecting them
globally.

Its stimulating and exotic essence influences class relations in the

West and global dynamics.

Eighteenth-century coffeehouses were pivotal in fostering

commerce and culture, shaping bourgeois societal practices.

In bourgeois culture, coffee symbolizes clear-headedness and

achievement, aiding in self-management and productivity.

Coffee breaks in labor practices serve as temporal markers,

reflecting societal ideals and facilitating productivity in advanced
capitalism.
PRODUCING DOMESTIC SENSIBILITIES
Coffee's profound impact on Western capitalism and German
bourgeois domesticity intertwines with class dynamics and state
control.

Initially linked to colonial interests, coffee in Germany led to 'bean

coffee' for aristocrats and chicory for the petty bourgeoisie.

State taxation on coffee aimed to restrict funds to colonial powers,

emphasizing domestic scrutiny.

Tax collectors, known as 'coffee sniffers,' symbolized intimate

household scrutiny.

These dynamics reveal the complex interplay between domestic

intimacy and class distinctions, highlighting the state's contradictory
role in promoting privileged consumption while policing domesticity.
 TEA CONSUMPTION IN
GUJARAT
1. Tea consumption in Gujarat has a fascinating history, deeply
intertwined with its economic, social, and cultural development.
2. Tea became a symbol of modernity and cosmopolitanism.
3. Yagnik highlights the role of tea in shaping Gujarat's social
fabric, particularly in the context of gender dynamics.
4. Tea breaks became integral to the daily routines of workers,
offering moments of respite and camaraderie amidst the rigors of
labor.
5. Tea became associated with hospitality, with the ritual of serving
tea to guests symbolizing warmth and hospitality.
6. Yagnik also underscores the darker aspects of Gujarat's tea
culture, including issues of exploitation and inequity within the tea
industry
 CONCLUSION
1. From a sociological perspective, these studies illuminate how
seemingly mundane aspects of daily life, such as coffee breaks and tea
consumption, are embedded with deeper symbolic meanings and social
significance.
2. By examining the ritualistic nature of coffee breaks, Weiss reveals
how they contribute to the formation of workplace culture and
interpersonal relationships, ultimately influencing productivity and well-
being in the workplace.
3. Yagnik's exploration of tea consumption in Gujarat delves into the
multifaceted ways in which tea has become intertwined with the state's
social, economic, and cultural fabric.
4.By contextualizing coffee breaks and tea consumption within broader
social, economic, and cultural contexts, these analyses shed light on
how everyday practices shape and reflect larger societal processes and
transformations.