Mathew, in Du Bois’s Dark Princess, sits in a coffee shop and observes the people around him, ruminating on his place amongst them. He utilizes the space in the same way it has been used for centuries; coffee shops have always served as places to think and to engage with the people around you. It is here where Mathew first sees the princess, saying “never after that first glance was he or the world quite the same.” (Du Bois 8) This is an example of the central role coffee, and the place we gather to get it, can play in our lives. The social role of coffee encouraging us to meet and interact with other people is one that is very present across the world.
Coffee, and consequently, coffee shops can be found throughout societies everywhere. The first coffee shops appeared in Mecca and Constantinople in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and were regarded as “schools of wisdom” due to the candid conversations that occurred there. As they became a hot spot for a direct exchange of ideas, the powerful leaders of the time repeatedly tried to ban coffee shops, but failed as they were already an integral part of society. In the 17th century, coffeehouses had spread throughout Europe. Zuraw’s NPR article “How Coffee Influenced the Course of History,” discusses the fact that as coffee grew in popularity in Europe, Europeans enslaved people to grow the crops as they colonized other areas. Thus, there is an irony of coffee influencing the progress of society and providing “‘egalitarian places … where people can come together,’”(Zuraw) while the supply was grown by enslaved people.
The popularity of coffee as a beverage gave birth to spaces where people gather and congregate, cultivating a pattern of meeting and sharing thoughts over a cup of coffee in a cafe that still persists today. The development of the social role coffee plays in our lives began centuries ago, as coffee shops flourished across the world as places for people to be together and for ideas to brew.
DuBois, W.E.B. Dark Princess: A Romance. Harcourt. 1928.
Myhrvold, Nathan. “Coffee.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1 June 2020, www.britannica.com/topic/coffee.
Zuraw, Lydia. “How Coffee Influenced The Course Of History.” NPR, NPR, 24 Apr. 2013, www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/04/24/178625554/how-coffee-influenced-the-course-of-history.
Your analysis on coffee shops was incredibly thoughtful! It’s important to consider the setting that Du Bois places his characters because we see a person of color in a very westernized setting. However, like the act of drinking tea and the drink we notice that it is actually a claim of culture. I liked your information on Mecca and Constantinople, it made me appreciate coffee shops even more as a place of social and academic productivity. On the flip side, with the influence of technology I also couldn’t help but think of those coffee shops that don’t even allow technology for the sake of human social interaction. Arguably that is a form of wisdom but it lacks the school mentality.
It’s also disheartening but true the mention that coffee has a complex history. The enslavement of those whose crops of their native land are turned against them is indication of a larger problem that Du Bois wants to emphasize. Overall, I really enjoyed your post and how comprehensive it was!
I loved learning that the origins of coffee can be traced back to Mecca (a Muslim holy site) and Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), as it makes me think of how non-Western materials covertly show up in the novel as a nod to the interrelatedness of Afro-Asia, particularly in the context of European colonialism. Coffee has been and still is such a highly sought-after good, especially in the West; while formerly colonized lands (e.g., Brazil, Kenya, Columbia, etc.), have suffered from the unsustainable extraction of land, labor, and resources for our benefit. This story of coffee also speaks to the Transatlantic slave trade, in how Black folks were subjugated to in order to produce crops like coffee, which then supplied the intellectual gusto of coffee shops.
Hi Hannah!
Loved not only your analysis of the role that coffee plays in Part I, but also coffee shops themselves. It was especially thought provoking for me to think about how coffee shops have almost diluted in significance compared to the role they once had. Like you mention, places like these in sacred locations became central to thought leadership, thus becoming integral to society. Now, coffee shops are so prevalent and have gained such a particular image, it’s hard for me to associate them with anything but Starbucks baristas in flannels and beanies. That air of productivity/scholarship still remains at coffee shops in general, but it’s astonishing to trace back these beautiful culture pushing hubs in Mecca and Constantinople, to the big brand coffee franchises we see on every corner. (I still love coffee in all shapes and forms though, don’t get me wrong!)