Sensorial Investigations: A History of the Senses in Anthropology, Psychology, and Law

Sensory Investigations by David Howes provides a sweeping history of the senses in anthropology, psychology, and law, arguing that each culture should be approached on its own sensory terms and critiquing experimental and cognitive psychology, sensory science, and phenomenology. It applies the paradigm of the "historical anthropology of the senses and sensation" to analyze trade relations between Europe and China, treaty-making in North America, and unresolved disputes over land rights and Indigenous sovereignty.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 25 April 2023
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press

Sensory ethnography has provided unique insights into the functioning of the senses, advocating for a cultural-specific approach. In part 1, Howes showcases the benefits of sensory ethnography, highlighting its ability to offer alternative perspectives on sensory experiences. He convincingly argues that each culture should be analyzed through its sensory lens. Part 2 delves into the psychological discipline of the senses within the Western tradition, beginning with Aristotle and traversing the rise of Lockean empiricism and cognitive neuroscience. Howes presents an anthropologically informed critique of experimental and cognitive psychology, sensory science, and phenomenology. In part 3, he introduces the concept of the "historical anthropology of the senses and sensation" and applies it to analyze trade relations between Europe and China in the early modern period, the treaty-making process in North America during the colonial era, and ongoing disputes over land rights and Indigenous sovereignty. He argues that these differences stem from a cultural clash of sensoria.

Sensorial Investigations is an invaluable resource for classroom use, engaging critically with a wealth of scholarship in the fields of history and anthropology of the senses, psychology of sensation, and socio-legal studies. It is essential reading for students and scholars seeking to deepen their understanding of these subjects.

Weight: 272g
Dimension: 203 x 127 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780271095011