Anthropologists of the senses have long argued that cultures differ in their sensory registers. This groundbreaking volume applies this idea to material culture and the social practices that endow objects with meanings in both colonial and postcolonial relationships. It challenges the privileged position of the sense of vision in the analysis of material culture. Contributors argue that vision can only be understood in relation to the other senses. In this they present another challenge to the assumed western five-sense model, and show how our understanding of material culture in both historical and contemporary contexts might be reconfigured if we consider the role of smell, taste, touch and sound, as well as sight, in making meanings about objects.

Also available in hardback, 9781845203238 GBP55.00 (July, 2006)

About the Author
Elizabeth Edwards is Professor and Senior Research Fellow, University of the Arts London. Chris Gosden is at The Pitt Rivers Museum Research Centre, Oxford.Ruth Phillips is at the Institute for Comparative Studies in Literature, Art and Culture, Carleton University, Canada.

Reviews
'The volume ought to be considered as a starting-point from which to explore further the anthropolgy of the senses.' Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, Vol 14, No 2, June 2008 An important, brave and engaging work amply suitable of stimulating further research in the study of the senses. Senses & Society Sensible Objects is successful on a number of levels. It comprises a thought-provoking and enjoyable group of essays that... encourage the reader to consider and question using additional combinations of sound, smell, touch, and taste. -- Emma Martin, World Museum, Liverpool, UK Journal of Museum Ethnography



Book Information
ISBN 9781845203245
Author Elizabeth Edwards
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Berg Publishers
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 590g