** High Priority **
 
I am in the process of writing paper in which I examine how English
writers of the early modern period characterized other nationalities#
drinking habits, and in the process helped define particular patterns of
drinking as distinctly English. That process of differentiation, in turn, was
an important element in creating the semblance of cultural and political
unity in early modern England, and occurred at a time when the state
was seeking  to impose uniformity in both local institutions and in religious
practice. The paper compares the English example to developments
elsewhere in early modern Europe, and speculates on the early role of
national and ethnic stereotypes in molding and reinforcing certain drinking
practices. The primary materials consulted in the paper date from the late
fifteenth century to the first years of the so-called "gin epidemic" of 1720
to 1751.
        Can anyone out there recommend relevant secondary sources?
In particular, I am looking for studies on the emergence and definition of
national identity in early modern Europe.
 
Thanks very much for any advice and help that you might offer.
 
        Jessica Warner
        Addiction Research Foundation
        33 Russell St.
        Toronto, ON M5S 2S1
 
        Phone: (416) 595-6000
        FAX: (416) 595-6899
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