The Smell Culture Reader (Sensory Formations)

Here Is A Much-needed Overview Of What Is Arguably Our Most Elusive Sense. Sight And Hearing Have Been The Subject Of Numerous Books, While The So-called Lower Senses Have Remained Relatively Unexplored Despite Powerful And Complex Social Meanings. From Hygiene To Aromatherapy, The Foul To The Fragrant, Smell Is Shown Here To Be Much More Than A Physical Act Of Perception. Introduction: Olfactorocentrism / Jim Drobnick -- Part I: Odorphobia: Polish And Deodorize: Paving The City In The Late Eighteenth-century France / Rodolphe El-khoury -- The Sociology Of Odors / Gale Largey And Rod Watson -- Immigrant Lives And The Politics Of Olfaction In The Global City / Martin F. Manalansan Iv -- Offensive Bodies / Alan Hyde -- Base Notes: Odor, Breath, And Moral Contagion In Ilahita / Donald Tuzin -- Olfactory-triggered Panic Attacks Among Khmer Refugees / Devon E. Hinton, Vuth Pich, Dara Chhean And Mark H. Pollack -- Part Ii: Toposmia : Smellscape / J. Douglas Porteous -- Vagueness Gridlocked: A Map Of The Smells Of New York / Eleanor Margolies -- The Broken Cycle: Smell In A Bangkok Lane / Erik Cohen -- Fragrant Signals And Festive Spaces In Eurasia / Lucienne A. Roubin -- The Stench Of Power / Hans J. Rindisbacher -- Environmental Fragrancing / Peter Damian And Kate Damian -- Part Iii: Flatreurs: The New Calculus Of Olfactory Pleasure / Alain Corbin --^ Sense And Sensibility / Helen Keller -- The Dog Beneath The Skin / Oliver Sacks -- Nostalgia, The Odors Of Childhood And Society / Alan R. Hirsch -- I Know What I Like: Understanding Odor Preferences / Rachel S. Herz -- Parf Iv: Perfume: Another Memory / Marcel Proust -- Perfumed Obsession / Mandy Aftel -- Accords And Discords: Perfume Reviews / Luca Turin -- Perfumeros And The Sacred Use Of Fragrance In Amazonian Shamanism / John J. Steele -- The Dialectic Of Ensentment: Patrick Suskind's Perfume As A Critical History Of Enlightenment Culture / Richard T. Gray -- Part V: Scentsuality: The Eros--and Thanatos--of Scents / Richard H. Stamelman -- Oder Di Femina: Though You May Not See Her, You Can Certainly Smell Her / Carol Mavor -- The Roots Of The Orchis, The Iuli Of Chestnuts: The Odor Of Male Solitude / Christopher Looby -- Queer Smells: Fragrances Of Late Capitalism Or Scents Of Subversion? / Mark Graham --^ In Noritoshi Hirakawa's Garden Of Nirvana / Jennifer Fisher And Jim Drobnick -- Part Vi: Volatile Art: A Wisp Of Smoke: Scent And Character In The Tale Of Genji / Aileen Gatten -- Eating Nothing: Cooking Aromas In Art And Culture / Jim Drobnick -- Self-portrait In Scent: Sketch #1 / Clara Ursitti -- Digital Scratch And Virtual Sniff: Stimulating Scents / Mark W.d. Paterson -- Part Vii: Sublime Essences: The Breath Of God Sacred Histories Of Scent / Constance Classen -- Bodies, Odors And Perfumes In Arab-muslim Societies / Francoise Aubaile-sallenave -- Magic, Perfume, Dream ... / Alfred Gell -- The Scent Of Memory In Hindu South India / David Shulman -- Olfactory After-death Communications / William Guggenheim And Judith Guggenheim. Edited By Jim Drobnick. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Introduction: Olfactorocentrism / Jim Drobnick PART I: ODORPHOBIA: Polish and deodorize: paving the city in the late Eighteenth-Century France / Rodolphe el-Khoury The sociology of odors / Gale Largey and Rod Watson Immigrant lives and the politics of olfaction in the global city / Martin F. Manalansan IV Offensive bodies / Alan Hyde Base notes: odor, breath, and moral contagion in Ilahita / Donald Tuzin Olfactory-triggered panic attacks among Khmer refugees / Devon E. Hinton, Vuth Pich, Dara Chhean and Mark H. Pollack PART II: TOPOSMIA : Smellscape / J. Douglas Porteous Vagueness gridlocked: a map of the smells of New York / Eleanor Margolies The broken cycle: smell in a Bangkok lane / Erik Cohen Fragrant signals and festive spaces in Eurasia / Lucienne A. Roubin The stench of power / Hans J. Rindisbacher Environmental fragrancing / Peter Damian and Kate Damian PART III: FLATREURS: The new calculus of olfactory pleasure / Alain Corbin ^Sense and sensibility / Helen Keller The dog beneath the skin / Oliver Sacks Nostalgia, the odors of childhood and society / Alan R. Hirsch I know what I like: understanding odor preferences / Rachel S. Herz PARF IV: PERFUME: Another memory / Marcel Proust Perfumed obsession / Mandy Aftel Accords and discords: perfume reviews / Luca Turin Perfumeros and the sacred use of fragrance in Amazonian shamanism / John J. Steele The dialectic of "ensentment": Patrick Suskind's Perfume as a critical history of Enlightenment culture / Richard T. Gray PART V: SCENTSUALITY: The eros and thanatos of scents / Richard H. Stamelman Oder di femina: though you may not see her, you can certainly smell her / Carol Mavor "The roots of the Orchis, the Iuli of chestnuts": the odor of male solitude / Christopher Looby Queer smells: fragrances of late capitalism or scents of subversion? / Mark Graham ^In Noritoshi Hirakawa's Garden of Nirvana / Jennifer Fisher and Jim Drobnick PART VI: VOLATILE ART: A wisp of smoke: scent and character in The Tale of Genji / Aileen Gatten Eating nothing: cooking aromas in art and culture / Jim Drobnick Self-portrait in scent: sketch #1 / Clara Ursitti Digital scratch and virtual sniff: stimulating scents / Mark W.D. Paterson PART VII: SUBLIME ESSENCES: The breath of God" sacred histories of scent / Constance Classen Bodies, odors and perfumes in Arab-Muslim societies / Francoise Aubaile-Sallenave Magic, perfume, dream... / Alfred Gell The scent of memory in Hindu South India / David Shulman Olfactory after-death communications / William Guggenheim and Judith Guggenheim. Smell is fundamental to experience but mired in paradox. Stigmatized as animalistic, it nonetheless feeds a vast fragrance and marketing industry. Considered ephemeral, scents have survived throughout the ages in a number of religious practices. The Smell Culture Reader provides a much-needed overview of what is arguably the most elusive sense. From hygiene to aromatherapy, the fetid to the fragrant, smells are shown to be much more than just an adornment or a nuisance. Addressing this engaging sense in redolent detail, The Smell Culture Reader demonstrates how essential smell is to sexuality, social status, personal identity, and cultural tradition.