Continuing my bug theme, I spotted this guy in a pretty conspicuous spot, and while keeping on the lookout for other fauna I listened to books for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was “Unrefined” by David Singerman (full disclosure: we went to high school together but I honestly didn't know he wrote this until I finished the book). This is an incredible book that examines the complex interplay of science, economics, and law around the development of the global refined sugar industry. This serves not just as an examination of a critical industry in global history due to its scale and entanglement with slavery and colonialism, but also of the role of social, economic, and legal processes in legitimizing different scientific methods. This stands out most in the book around methods used to grade sugar purity, and how they are ultimately subjective and influenced by external processes. This is a can't miss book. Highly recommend https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/U/bo251837774.html

Last was “Corporate Policing, Yellow Unionism, and Strikebreaking,” edited by Matteo Millan and Alessandro Saluppo. This is a great academic collection, surveying strikebreaking activities around the world in a critical period for unionism and society more broadly. The focus here is mostly on Europe, but there are also some chapters covering other parts of the world. I especially liked the chapters on strikebreaking and the rise of Italian fascism (Millan) and the steamship workers of the "China Line" (Charles Bégué Fawell). Highly recommend https://www.routledge.com/Corporate-Policing-Yellow-Unionism-and-Strikebreaking-1890-1930-In-Defence-of-Freedom/Millan-Saluppo/p/book/9780367701178