How often do you pop into your local grocery store to grab a few necessary items? Now, how often do you think about how amazing it is that you can do that at a moment’s notice? In truth, we seldom stop to think about all the cultural, commercial, and technological factors that have converged to give us easy access to an incredible range of food and other products, all in one place.

As you will discover in The History of Grocery Stores and Food Access in America, we shouldn’t take the neighborhood grocery store for granted. Join anthropologist Hanna Garth for five lectures where you’ll trace the evolution of the grocery industry from a time when Americans handed a shopping list to a clerk who would retrieve items, right up to the present day, when superstores allow shoppers to choose from thousands of products at arm’s reach. You’ll explore the innovations that made neighborhood grocery stores possible: railroads, refrigeration, poultry breeding, and even the creation of corrugated cardboard boxes and brown paper bags. Along the way, you’ll consider the ongoing problems of food access inequality in a world where large chains often ignore urban and rural communities in pursuit of greater profits in the suburbs.

This exploration of the grocery industry is much more than the creation of superstores. It’s also a microcosm of modern American history, covering crucial trends in American life and economics over the past century. From the rise of the suburbs to our dependence on cars, to racial and economic disparities, to the emergence of the internet, you’ll find that the history of grocery stores presents a concise and eye-opening version of American history writ large.