This book provides an overview of the political situation in Sri Lanka from the end of the civil war that took place between 1983 and 2009 until 2016.

It was especially gratifying to hear a detailed account of the main character in the book, President Rajapaksa, a politician who ruled the country on an almost dictatorial level and whose family and inner circle became enormously wealthy and powerful. This is the very person who was forced to flee the country during the Sri Lankan riots of 2022. I remember that the 2022 Sri Lankan riots were well covered in the news.

Can we somehow know the latest situation in Sri Lanka: what was the economic crisis and riots in 2022? What is going on with China's One Belt One Road and what are the relations with India, USA and Japan?

Unlike India, books on the latest developments in Sri Lanka are hard to find. In fact, it is almost unheard of.

It was in this context that this book, "ARC Report: Sri Lanka 2023/2024," finally hit the market.

As the title suggests, it is truly up-to-date; the 2023 report on Sri Lanka's political economy will be in this book.

This book is famous as a milestone work of historiography that overturned the established theories as expounded in Max Weber's "The Ethics of Protestantism and the Spirit of Capitalism".

The main theme of the book is precisely the argument that capital accumulated through the slave trade and slave plantations is what brought about the Industrial Revolution.

This book was also an exciting look at the course of history on a truly gigantic scale.

Once again, the reading made me realize the complexity and enormity of the world.

It is a superb work that destroys our preconceptions. Why not pick up a copy?

In my last article, "The Truth About Coffee" by Antony Wilde, I learned about the dark side of the global coffee industry.

I was left scratching my head when I read that book, but in this book, "Coffee to Read the SDGs," I learned about the people and their activities that are struggling to change such a crisis-ridden coffee industry.

The text is easy to read and the book contains many photographs, so it is a work that can be easily picked up. Why not pick up a copy?

本書『コーヒーが廻り世界史が廻る』は副題に「近代市民社会の黒い血液」とありますように、コーヒーが近代社会にいかに影響を与えたのかということを見ていける作品です。

そしてイギリスだけでなくフランスやドイツなどにおけるコーヒー事情も詳しく語られますのでとても刺激的です。フランス革命やナポレオンにもコーヒーは大きく絡んできます。

「コーヒーを通して見る世界史」と言うべき素晴らしい作品です。これは面白い！コーヒー好きの私にとって非常に刺激的な一冊でした。

私達にも身近なチョコレートは近代化の産物です。特にイギリスの産業革命によってチョコレートはそれまでとは大きく違った意味を持ち始めます。その流れを知れる本書は非常に刺激的です。

また、本記事のタイトルにも書きましたが私達もよく知るキットカットの歴史もこの本では知ることができます。

本書を読めばこうしたチョコ菓子が人気になっていくのもまさに近代化の影響だったということがよくわかります。

私達の身近な生活にも直結するチョコレートの成り立ちを知るのにこの本はとてもおすすめです。前回紹介した『チョコレートの歴史』とセットで読めばさらに理解が深まること間違いなしです。