The Bittersweet History of Chocolate: What Makes Chocolate Good?

Dr. Carla D. Martin

November 21, 2026 | 8 pm

Social anthropologist Dr. Carla D. Martin will trace the bittersweet history of chocolate –– from Mayan temples, to the Transatlantic Slave Trade, to the rise of iconic brands like Hershey’s and Nestlé, to grueling labor on cocoa farms today. For centuries, the interests of U.S. and European chocolate makers have often diverged from those of cocoa farmers and producers. As she examines the cocoa-chocolate industry, Martin highlights the often-conflicting goals that create gaps in social and environmental responsibility. Many artisanal chocolate makers today market the social values underlying their production. When it comes to chocolate, good taste is paramount, but how do we measure its social goodness, and what value does this add for consumers?

Carla D. Martin is Lecturer and Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies in Harvard University’s Department of African and African American Studies and Founder and Board President of the nonprofit Institute for Cacao and Chocolate Research. She has published in numerous academic journals, most recently on the ethics of labor in cocoa and chocolate. Martin has received awards for excellence in teaching and research, and her public scholarship has been featured by the National Park Service, Harvard Museums, and National Public Radio. Her work brings her into community with workers at cocoa farms and chocolate factories worldwide. A chocolate tasting will follow the talk.