Whether one gives preference to “nurture” or “nature”, at least how we interpret our sensual
perception is shaped culturally. Yet, while the senses are a prominent topic in current
historiography, studies of the Mediterranean as a cultural world have not yet been affected by the
‘sensual turn’. What do Early Modern Mediterranean dwellers think about their senses? What is
the role of sensual perception in intellectual and material cultures and how do actors connect this
to ‘knowing’ the Mediterranean world around them? Such a focus on the senses could provide a
new perspective on our conceptions of Mediterranean cultural interconnectedness, shared
material culture, and peculiarities be they nutritional, religious, or environmental in nature. This
workshop aims to bring together practitioners from the History of Knowledge, Intellectual History
and the History of Material Culture under a Sensory History approach. Its aim is to explore the
potential of a Mediterranean History of the Senses. Can it reveal a new dimension of the
Mediterranean as a cultural region, that goes beyond the lines drawn by languages, religions, and
regional cultures?

Full Progamme here: The Mediterranean Senses_