'Paleontological Institute at The University of Kansas'
Abstract
The University of Kansas has long historical connections with Central America and the many Central
Americans who have earned graduate degrees at KU. This work is part of the Central American Theses
and Dissertations collection in KU ScholarWorks and is being made freely available with permission of the
author through the efforts of Professor Emeritus Charles Stansifer of the History department and the staff of
the Scholarly Communications program at the University of Kansas Libraries’ Center for Digital Scholarship.Costa Rica is a place that has come to be associated with coffee. The coffeeness of
Costa Rica is possible due to a unique combination of physical and social elements,
and elements of culture and meaning that have been pulled together in Costa Rica by
the force of place. Costa Ricans and non-Costa Ricans have informed Costa Rica’s
national identity as symbolized by coffee. Within Costa Rica, coffee and the
development of the coffee industry have played a pivotal role in national identity
formation. Costa Rica is participating in a world-system wherein capital wealth is
exported from nation-states in the periphery to nation-states in the core. By exporting
un-roasted coffee to the United States and Europe for roasting and sale, it is also
exporting their culture “up” the commodity chain, by sending along images of coffee
farmers and ideas of cooperative-based fair trade
