Anastasia Ivanova

Winter 2013

Senior Project Proposal

Tea in Five Acts

I. Vision Statement (Identify the Project) For my senior project I am going to create a book called Tea in 5 Acts:

An Exploration of the History and Practice of Tea Around the World. This
book will feature five countries, which are tentatively Russia, Japan, England, China, and Morocco. Each country will have its own section, an act, that will include three scenes. Scene 1: The Historical Background and Cultural

Significance of Tea in _____ will be a brief introduction to tea in each

country compiled through research of books about the history and culture of tea throughout the world and each country, taking into consideration any input from the experts I plan to interview. It will include any important facts and events, as well as not so important, but interesting tidbits. This section will also include information on the current state of tea culture in each country. Scene 2: A Look at Tea in _____ will include a picture and an interview with an expert, someone well knowledgeable about tea in each country. Lastly, Scene 3: Experiencing the Tea of ____ will be a reenactment of the tea tradition or ceremony of each country, by me and a groups of friends, which will be consistent for all the reenactments. The reenactment will be documented through photographs that I plan to use in this section. Additionally, this section will feature a description of the etiquette, customs, preparations, recipes, and reflections on the experience. II. Goals and Significance Right now American consumers have access to many different kinds of books about tea: general history books, country specific books, books on how to recreate tea settings or ceremonies, recipe books, and more. Why then,

Anastasia Ivanova

Winter 2013

Senior Project Proposal

create a book about tea? It seems to me that none of the books Ive seen are true explorations of tea, in different countries and from different aspects. In a fairly simple, but personal and interactive format, I want to share that kind of exploration with others. Also, I just really love tea. Ive been drinking tea for as long as I can remember, before I was one year old according to my mom. With breakfast, after lunch and dinner with dessert, with an afternoon snack, or simply whenever I needed something warm or wanted tea. Tea plays a fairly large role in Russian culture, and when I found out that many Americans would rather drink soda or water I was shocked. Perhaps because I wasnt completely satisfied with American culture, I quickly became interested in learning about other countries. One that drew me in from early on was Japan, and Japanese art later became the focus of my studies as an Art History major. The significance of tea in Japan is easy for anyone to see, especially when one thinks of Chado, meaning the way of tea, or Chanoyu, which literally translates to water for tea, the famous Japanese Tea Ceremony. This aspect attracted me to Japanese culture even more, if thats possible, and I was very eager to take Chado: Japanese

Esthetics, a class offered by the Art History department at the University of

Washington. Learning about the history, cultural significance, and practice of tea in Japan for an entire quarter was like a dream come true. These are the main reasons why, after a lot of contemplation and changing my mind, I decided to do my senior project about tea. My goals for this project are to learn more about tea around the world and share that knowledge and my love for tea with others. I hope those that I interview will be happy to share their knowledge and see that it is appreciated. I hope my friends enjoy and gain something from the experience of reenacting tea traditions and ceremonies from around the

Anastasia Ivanova

Winter 2013

Senior Project Proposal

world with me. Lastly, I hope I can create a book thats simple and accessible, but at the same time says a lot can be shared with the world. It would be amazing if I could eventually get this book published, but I think the experience of creating it alone will be worth more than I can imagine. III. Context/Background/History Tea has been around for thousands of years and holds a high significance in many cultures around the world. Throughout that long history, tea has played a significant role in trade, the development of culture, conflicts, and the everyday lives of people. Although tea has a rich history and cultural meaning in many nations, the US as a whole isnt really one of them. While I dont think a tradition of tea drinking similar to those throughout the world will ever develop in America, those of us who love tea or come from a culture where tea is important can spread our appreciation of tea, as well as the knowledge of the many tea traditions from around the world. The health benefits of tea could also be a large driving factor in increasing its popularity, especially in a country where most of the top drinks of choice are huge contributors to the obesity epidemic. I hope I can convey these factors and their importance through my book. IV. Literature Review (Brief) There is a large variety of books about tea out there, especially tea in China, Japan, and England, but in other places as well. Some books about the general history of tea around the world include Tea: A Global History by Helen Saberi, The Romance of Tea: An Outline History of Tea and Tea-

drinking through Sixteen Hundred Years by William H. Ukers, an author who

has also written several other books about tea, Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea

from East to West by Beatrice Hohenegger, and The True History of Tea by
Victor H. Mair and Erling Hoh. For Japan, a key book is Tea in Japan: Essays

Anastasia Ivanova

Winter 2013

Senior Project Proposal

on the History of Chanoyu by Paul H. Varley and Isao Kumakura. I also plan
to include information that I learned in Chado: Japanese Esthetics as part of my research. The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide Mary L. Heiss and Robert J. Heiss is a book Ive looked at about tea in China, although Im sure I wont have any problems finding many of those. I havent looked too much into country-specific books, except for Russia, which so far has been difficult, but I am going to talk to someone in the Slavic Department. One useful book, Food Culture in Russia and Central

Asia by Glenn R. Mack and Asele Surina, offers looks a various tea cultures
across different part of Russia. Another country that I think will be difficult is to find books about tea for is Morocco. This is my most tentative one and Ive decided that I will use an African country that I can find the most resources for. Overall, there is a wide range of resources I can use, including the Internet, and my interviews and contact with an expert for each country will be useful in validating my research and improving each section. V. Methodology This project has many different parts and sides that will allow me to use a wide variety of methods and resources, and I really think it will not only be enjoyable, but a great learning experience. A fairly large portion of this project will be research about the historical background and cultural significance of tea in each country. I have already started looking at some of the literature that I plan to use as reference. For each country I will augment my review of the texts with information derived from my expert. My primary mentor will be someone who I check in with along the way, go to when I am stuck or looking for ideas, and provide me with overall feedback about my progress. Ideally, research for each country will take place in threeweek increments.

Anastasia Ivanova

Winter 2013

Senior Project Proposal

An interview with an expert for each country is a smaller part of the process, but key and making my book more personal. I already have experts for Russia and Japan, and have looked into possibilities for England, China, and Morocco. I plan to schedule each interview sometime during the three weeks I am doing the primary research for each country. I havent determined an exact set of questions yet, but I plan to ask about knowledge of culture and tradition, as well as some personal stories and experiences. I also plan to include a picture and some background information about each expert. Lastly, I will set up each reenactment of a tea tradition or ceremony for each country at the end of every three weeks of research, whether it is in my home or elsewhere, and invite my friends to join me. I will send out an initial invitation asking my friends to commit to attending all five reenactments and providing reflections for each one. About a week prior to each reenactment I will send out an invitation with details specific to that reenactment. Two days prior I will send out an information sheet with a brief outline of the history and culture of tea in each country, what to expect from the ceremony, and some etiquette and customs. During each reenactment my sister will document the event through photographs, and after I will as for a reflection from all the participants. I plan to partially compile each section throughout this process and work on finalizing the book during the last few weeks before the project is due. I havent decided yet exactly how I will go about putting everything together, but I have a vision in my head. One of the things I want to do with this project is be creative, and I think Ill have the opportunity to do that in a variety of ways.

Anastasia Ivanova

Winter 2013

Senior Project Proposal

Appendix I: Annotated Bibliography Varley, Paul H., and Isao Kumakura.Tea in Japan: Essays on the History of

Chanoyu. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i, 1994. Print.

Saberi, Helen.Tea: A Global History. London: Reaktion, 2010. Print. Mack, Glenn R., and Asele Surina.Food Culture in Russia and Central Asia. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2005. Print. Ukers, William H.The Romance of Tea: An Outline History of Tea and Tea-

drinking through Sixteen Hundred Years. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1936. Print.
Hohenegger, Beatrice.Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea from East to West. New York: St. Martin's, 2006. Print. Mair, Victor H., and Erling Hoh.The True History of Tea. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2009. Print. Heiss, Mary L., and Robert J. Heiss.The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and

Drinking Guide. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed, 2007. Print.

Appendix II: Timeline