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The Sensory Studies Manifesto: Tracking the Sensorial Revolution in the Arts and Human Sciences
The senses are made, not given. This revolutionary realization has come as of late to inform research across the social sciences and humanities, and is currently inspiring groundbreaking experimentation in the world of art and design, where the focus is now on mixing and manipulating the senses.
The Sensory Studies Manifesto tracks these transformations and opens multiple lines of investigation into the diverse ways in which human beings sense and make sense of the world. This unique volume treats the human sensorium as a dynamic whole that is best approached from historical, anthropological, geographic, and sociological perspectives. In doing so, it has altered our understanding of sense perception by directing attention to the sociality of sensation and the cultural mediation of sense experience and expression.
David Howes challenges the assumptions of mainstream Western psychology by foregrounding the agency, interactivity, creativity, and wisdom of the senses as shaped by culture. The Sensory Studies Manifesto sets the stage for a radical reorientation of research in the human sciences and artistic practice.
The Sensory Studies Manifesto tracks these transformations and opens multiple lines of investigation into the diverse ways in which human beings sense and make sense of the world. This unique volume treats the human sensorium as a dynamic whole that is best approached from historical, anthropological, geographic, and sociological perspectives. In doing so, it has altered our understanding of sense perception by directing attention to the sociality of sensation and the cultural mediation of sense experience and expression.
David Howes challenges the assumptions of mainstream Western psychology by foregrounding the agency, interactivity, creativity, and wisdom of the senses as shaped by culture. The Sensory Studies Manifesto sets the stage for a radical reorientation of research in the human sciences and artistic practice.
282 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 17, 2022
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June 3, 2025
I am an enormous fan of David Howes. Remarkable writer. Profound researcher. Expansive thinker.
This book is complex. I will be reading it again. And again. Like the best books.
His profound leadership in Sensory Studies is witnessed here. I will be using this research in many projects.
I see that the other ratings of this book are uneven. There may be two reasons for that. Firstly, although it is radically interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary, the anthropological frame and focus can be a bit jarring. There are some generalizations from very specific groups and communities that require clarity, precision and the capacity to be self-standing and different rather than contributing to transferable knowledge.
Secondly, the references are dated. I revelled in the history of ideas presented here. The big names having star turns. Loved it. But for those after flashy, down-with-the-young-people mentions of social media - this is not your book. If you are interested in how Sensory Studies has emerged and how it is transformative for knowledge, then you will enjoy this remarkable monograph, from a man at the top of his craft.
This book is complex. I will be reading it again. And again. Like the best books.
His profound leadership in Sensory Studies is witnessed here. I will be using this research in many projects.
I see that the other ratings of this book are uneven. There may be two reasons for that. Firstly, although it is radically interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary, the anthropological frame and focus can be a bit jarring. There are some generalizations from very specific groups and communities that require clarity, precision and the capacity to be self-standing and different rather than contributing to transferable knowledge.
Secondly, the references are dated. I revelled in the history of ideas presented here. The big names having star turns. Loved it. But for those after flashy, down-with-the-young-people mentions of social media - this is not your book. If you are interested in how Sensory Studies has emerged and how it is transformative for knowledge, then you will enjoy this remarkable monograph, from a man at the top of his craft.
Displaying 1 of 1 review