Ritual has long been a central concept in anthropological theories of religious transmission. Ritual, Performance and the Senses offers a new understanding of how ritual enables religious representations - ideas, beliefs, values - to be shared among participants.

Focusing on the body and the experiential nature of ritual, the book brings together insights from three distinct areas of study: cognitive/neuroanthropology, performance studies and the anthropology of the senses. Eight chapters by scholars from each of these sub-disciplines investigate different aspects of embodied...

Artists, designers and researchers are increasingly seeking new ways to understand and explore the creative and practical significance of the senses. This ground-breaking book brings art and design into the field of sensory studies providing a clear introduction to the field and outlining important developments and new directions.

A compelling exploration of both theory and practice, Sensory Arts and Design brings together a wide variety of examples from contemporary art and design which share a sensory dimension in their development or user experience. Divided into three...

Traditionally sight has been the only sense with a ticket to enter the museum. The same is true of histories of art, in which artworks are often presented as purely visual objects. In The Museum of the Senses Constance Classen offers a new way of approaching the history of art through the senses, revealing how people used to handle, smell and even taste collection pieces. Topics range from the tactile power of relics to the sensuous allure of cabinets of curiosities, and from the feel of a Rembrandt to the scent of Monet's garden. The book concludes with a discussion of how...

Traditionally sight has been the only sense with a ticket to enter the museum. The same is true of histories of art, in which artworks are often presented as purely visual objects. In The Museum of the Senses Constance Classen offers a new way of approaching the history of art through the senses, revealing how people used to handle, smell and even taste collection pieces. Topics range from the tactile power of relics to the sensuous allure of cabinets of curiosities, and from the feel of a Rembrandt to the scent of Monet's garden. The book concludes with a discussion of how...

Sensing the World: An Anthropology of the Senses is a highly original and comprehensive overview of the anthropology and sociology of the body and the senses. Discussing each sense in turn seeing, hearing, touch, smell, and taste Le Breton has written a truly monumental work, vast in scope and deeply engaging in style. In a truly pioneering move, he takes the debate beyond taste and food to explore aspects of disgust and revulsion. Part phenomenological, part historical, this is above all a cultural work which returns attention to the body and the senses to the center of social...

Sensing the World: An Anthropology of the Senses is a highly original and comprehensive overview of the anthropology and sociology of the body and the senses. Discussing each sense in turn seeing, hearing, touch, smell, and taste Le Breton has written a truly monumental work, vast in scope and deeply engaging in style. In a truly pioneering move, he takes the debate beyond taste and food to explore aspects of disgust and revulsion. Part phenomenological, part historical, this is above all a cultural work which returns attention to the body and the senses to the center of social...

With its 8.3 million occupants, London is a bustling and diverse metropolis characterized by rich histories of socioeconomic change and multiculture. The abundance of smells and tastes which can be experienced in the city are integral to understanding both its history and the reality of London's urban present. From the fiery chillies sold by street grocers which are linked to years of cultural exchange, through 'cuisines of origin' like jellied eels to hybridized dishes such as the chicken katsu wrap, sensory experiences are key to understanding the complex cultural genealogies of the city...