Johan Mathew’s current project, Opiates of the Masses: Labor, Narcotics, and Global Capitalism, explores the history of narcotics in order to interrogate the concepts of “consumer demand” and “rational choice” in market exchange, focusing on the consumption of narcotics by workers in Asia and Africa to alleviate the stresses of labor under capitalism.

Johan Matthew is Assistant Professor of History at Rutgers University.

The Center for Cultural Studies hosts a weekly Wednesday colloquium featuring work by faculty and visitors. The sessions consist of a 40-45 minute presentation followed by discussion. We gather at noon, with presentations beginning at 12:15 PM. Participants are encouraged to bring their own lunches; the Center provides coffee, tea, and cookies.

All Center for Cultural Studies events are free and open to the public. Staff assistance is provided by the Institute for Humanities Research.

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