Sharing Yerba Mate

“A well-researched, engaging, and important look at yerba mate’s history and geography of cultivation and consumption from the precolonial era to the present. . . . Sharing Yerba Mate is an engaging and enjoyable read, enlightening and accessible to those interested in the history of the region, as well those interested in the history of stimulants and rituals of consumption generally.”—American Historical Review

“Pite succeeds in crafting an innovative history social history, one which centers on yerba mate and explores its producers, its consumers and its servers. . . . Sharing Yerba Mate is an entertaining and clear contribution to multiple aspects of the historiography of the Southern Cone. Pite successfully delves into themes of nationalism, gender, racism, and social history all through the lens of yerba mate’s evolution. . . . [T]his is an excellently researched and theoretically situated work that contributes to numerous historical fields, while also being an accessible text for scholars and history students alike.”—Journal of Social History

“Pite deftly navigates the changes in late colonial territory to trace how the widespread usage of ka’a crossed social classes . . . [and the book’s] excellent visual and written analysis includes a vast number of primary sources produced by writers, painters, and naturalists from Europe and the United States.”—H-Diplo

“Pite, however, introduces her readers to what is, most likely, unknown to them: a multifaceted ritual that moves from preparation to consumption. . . . She also explores its sociocultural meanings. She carefully maps out the path that she follows throughout the book, always graced with copious observation. . . . This book guarantees a thought-provoking and very pleasurable read. It will become a widely cited source, welcomed by scholars from many different fields.”—Environmental History

“Beautifully written and solidly grounded in multisite archival research. Pite displays a command of scholarly methodologies of the histories of Latin America, nationalism, and commodities, as well as visual culture and food studies.”—Jeffrey M. Pilcher, author of Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food

“Working from the premise that the culture surrounding yerba mate (ka’a) needs to be studied from a broad regional perspective, Pite confidently crosses linguistic and political boundaries to shed light on how the infusion has shaped ideas about class, race, gender, and nation in southern South America.”—Bridget Chesterton, author of The Grandchildren of Solano López: Frontier and Nation in Paraguay, 1904–1936

“Like an expert cebadora, Pite serves up a rich, complex, and deeply sensory brew—a story of yerba mate that spans centuries, empires, nations, environments, trade circuits, and preparations, yet fits satisfyingly in our hands. Throughout, Pite reveals how yerba mate’s production and consumption created bonds of community among South Americans even as it bound many in enduring hierarchies of difference and exploitation.”—Paulina L. Alberto, Harvard University, author of Black Legend: The Many Lives of Raúl Grigera and the Power of Racial Storytelling in Argentina

“The consumption of mate is a familiar feature of the societies bordering the Río de la Plata. Less well known is the role this beverage played in constructing social and national identities in this region. This beautifully written and illustrated book explains how and why this occurred. In doing so, it provides fresh perspectives on gender, race, class, labor, the urban-rural divide, business practices, and politics in these nations. It is a fascinating story that will captivate scholars and the general public alike.”—Sandra McGee Deutsch, professor emerita, University of Texas at El Paso