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Sensory history is an area of academic study which examines the role the five senses have played in the past. It developed partly as a reaction to the lack of serious attention given to sensory experience in traditional history books, which often treat sensory experience as a writing technique rather than a serious avenue of enquiry.[1] Works of sensory history have the ability to convey a deeper understanding of the past, through its emphasis on physical experiences.
One of the most significant proponents of sensory history is the American historian Mark M. Smith. Anthropological approaches to sensory studies have had a notable influence on sensory history and there has been significant discussion and overlap between the two disciplines.[2] The transient nature of sensory experience makes sensory history a difficult topic to study and write about. This challenge is reflected in debate within the field, such as whether living museums are valuable as a method of presenting sensory history.[1][3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Smith, Mark (2007). Sensory History. Berg. ISBN 978-1-84520-415-0.
- ^ Howes, David (2008). "Can These Dry Bones Live? An Anthropological Approach to the History of the Senses". The Journal of American History. 95: 442–451 – via JSTOR.
- ^ Hoffer, Peter Charles (2008). Sensory Worlds in Early America. John Hopkins University Press.
