Smell as Communication
Guggenmos, Esther-Maria LU
(2019)
In Bloomsbury handbooks in religion
p.219-228
- Abstract
- This article highlights how an aesthetics of religion approach generates significant new insights into well-researched textual material. It does so by looking at Chinese Buddhist biographies focusing on how the world of smell is communicated. Academically established ways of approaching biographies elucidate their historical background and analyze narrative patterns. By looking at the Biographies of Thaumaturge Monks (assembled 1417 CE), we see odors as shaping the meaning of social interaction. The narrative context in which smells play a role reveals a distinct and culturally specific pattern of communication: olfaction plays a role in two modes of intentionally-induced and spontaneously-emerging smells and serves as a language between... (More)
- This article highlights how an aesthetics of religion approach generates significant new insights into well-researched textual material. It does so by looking at Chinese Buddhist biographies focusing on how the world of smell is communicated. Academically established ways of approaching biographies elucidate their historical background and analyze narrative patterns. By looking at the Biographies of Thaumaturge Monks (assembled 1417 CE), we see odors as shaping the meaning of social interaction. The narrative context in which smells play a role reveals a distinct and culturally specific pattern of communication: olfaction plays a role in two modes of intentionally-induced and spontaneously-emerging smells and serves as a language between living humans, gods, and the deceased. The Buddhist sources recode the world of odors assigning fragrance with Buddhist connotations while leaving to world of unpleasant smells to its counterplayers or to obstacles that can be overcome through the strength of Buddhist teaching. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/c5c88b3d-5429-49c6-98af-994a1b41e59e
- author
- Guggenmos, Esther-Maria
LU
- publishing date
- 2019
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- olfaction, smell as communication, new approach to biographies, Buddhist recoding, Chinese Buddhism, Biographies of Thaumaturge Monks (Shenseng zhuan)
- host publication
- The Bloomsbury Handbook of the Cultural and Cognitive Aesthetics of Religion
- series title
- Bloomsbury handbooks in religion
- editor
- Koch, Anne and Wilkens, Katharina
- pages
- 10 pages
- publisher
- Bloomsbury Academic
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85134291033
- ISBN
- 9781350292284
- 9781350066717
- 9781350066724
- 9781350066731
- DOI
- 10.5040/9781350066748.ch-020
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- c5c88b3d-5429-49c6-98af-994a1b41e59e
- date added to LUP
- 2023-03-29 12:23:28
- date last changed
- 2024-04-23 04:01:15
@inbook{c5c88b3d-5429-49c6-98af-994a1b41e59e,
abstract = {{This article highlights how an aesthetics of religion approach generates significant new insights into well-researched textual material. It does so by looking at Chinese Buddhist biographies focusing on how the world of smell is communicated. Academically established ways of approaching biographies elucidate their historical background and analyze narrative patterns. By looking at the Biographies of Thaumaturge Monks (assembled 1417 CE), we see odors as shaping the meaning of social interaction. The narrative context in which smells play a role reveals a distinct and culturally specific pattern of communication: olfaction plays a role in two modes of intentionally-induced and spontaneously-emerging smells and serves as a language between living humans, gods, and the deceased. The Buddhist sources recode the world of odors assigning fragrance with Buddhist connotations while leaving to world of unpleasant smells to its counterplayers or to obstacles that can be overcome through the strength of Buddhist teaching.}},
author = {{Guggenmos, Esther-Maria}},
booktitle = {{The Bloomsbury Handbook of the Cultural and Cognitive Aesthetics of Religion}},
editor = {{Koch, Anne and Wilkens, Katharina}},
isbn = {{9781350292284}},
keywords = {{olfaction; smell as communication; new approach to biographies; Buddhist recoding; Chinese Buddhism; Biographies of Thaumaturge Monks (Shenseng zhuan)}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{219--228}},
publisher = {{Bloomsbury Academic}},
series = {{Bloomsbury handbooks in religion}},
title = {{Smell as Communication}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781350066748.ch-020}},
doi = {{10.5040/9781350066748.ch-020}},
year = {{2019}},
}