What’s That Smell?
Sweet Fragrances and Foul Odours
Nordic Summer University
Research Group V: ”The Five Senses”
CALL FOR PAPERS
Winter Conference in Turku
14–16 March 2008
Like cinnamon, or fragrant balm, or precious myrrh, I give forth perfume.
(Wisdom speaking in Sirach 24:15)
Non olet.
(Vespasian on money)
Cultural historians have described the recent interest in the human senses a ”sensual revolution”. Together with members of other disciplines, such as philosophy, psychology, and anthropology, historians have begun mapping our sensual world. Their attention has turned from sights and sounds towards less explored realms of sensory experience.
What’s That Smell?, Winter Conference of the Research Group V of the Nordic Summer University, welcomes you to take part in a revolution within a revolution. The aim of the conference is to examine the sense of smell and the meaning of our olfactory experiences from an interdisciplinary perspective. For this purpose, we invite papers discussing smell not only from the historical point of view but also papers approaching the subject philosophically or from the standpoint of psychology.
Why is it that we can name colours, but have to resort to similes when describing odours? (”This wine is deep yellow; it smells like freshly-cut grass.”) What is the role of the sense of smell in art, or literature? Why do smells divide us, rather than unite?
Please send your abstract of 150 words to Anne Helness (anne.helness(a)ifikk.uio.no) or Anssi Hynynen (anssi.hynynen(a)abo.fi) no later than December 15th, 2007. We will also be happy to answer any questions you might have about the conference and the NSU.
The conference will be held at the Philosophy Department of Åbo Akademi in Turku, Finland, 14–16 March 2008. For the practical information about the conference, please contact Anssi Hynynen (email address mentioned above).