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Senses and Knowledge (0 posts)
In different cultures and settings throughout the early modern period, the senses were crucial instruments for attaining knowledge. Tasting, smelling, touching, seeing, and even hearing mattered for understanding the material qualities of the world and the value of things.
Senses and the City (0 posts)
In pre-modern cities, spatial and social density created a network of intense multi-sensory perceptions that influenced the formation and use of urban spaces and the perceptions of different religious and/or foreign people (‘sensory racism’). The interplay between sensory perception and urban environments can enhance our understanding of social stratifications, the meaning and design of public and religious spaces, and urban structures beyond the visible.
Senses and Landscape (1 post)
The term landscape signifies a geographic area defined by natural and/or human-made features like plants, water bodies, land shapes, and land use. The concept, however, that emerged in the early modern period, shaped and was shaped by how humans experienced and interpreted their allegedly natural and built surroundings, highlighting insofar cultural and aesthetic layers beyond mere geographical distinctions. The cultural interpretation of landscape was therefore intrinsically linked to sensory perception.
Senses and the Mediterranean (1 post)
The Mediterranean has long taken a pivotal place for the ways in which it connected many important cities, the convergence of multiple cultures, and not least its imagined position as the cradle of modern Europe. Exploring how inhabitants of the region understood their senses and their role in ‚knowing’ the world can offer a new perspective on the early modern Mediterranean. A focus on the Mediterranean senses thus aims to uncover a new dimension of the Mediterranean as a cultural region beyond linguistic, religious, and regional boundaries.
Senses and Things (0 posts)
How things, objects, and artefacts were experienced through the senses affected their meaning, significance, and function. This is particularly relevant for the early modern period, as cultural contacts with regions previously unknown to Europeans intensified, and scientific (and colonial) interest in their exploration grew. By delving into the sensory aspects of material culture, including botany and the environment, we can better understand the intricate relationship between the conceptualization of the senses and the conceptualization of things.
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