My name is Christopher LeClere. I am a PhD candidate in cultural anthropology with an interdisciplinary focus on mass communications at the University of Florida. In short, I study coffee and coffeehouses. However, dig just below the surface and you will see my research encompasses so much more. Coffeehouses are the only place where you can go on a date, do school work, spend time with your family, have a job interview, meet friends, and read quietly without ever changing seats. But, before you even chose which seat to spend your day a whole host of socio-economic and political factors had to take place. The type of coffeehouse you chose to visit (Starbucks or an independent shop), the drink you ordered, the way it is prepared, and how the ingredients ended up at that shop are all small parts of a much larger web of economic and geopolitical structures. I explore various facets of those webs. From how coffeehouses encourage migration both historically and contemporary to who orders the most Pumpkin Spice Lattes and why.
For my dissertation I am travelling throughout Europe making a film that explores how coffee is transforming and being transformed by larger issues like the formation of the European Union, Brexit, the explosion of the tech sector, and North American television. Why Europe and not the United States or Australia? Well for that answer check out my articles page.
Coffee Anthropology 