The Construction of an Olfactory Other - Ruxandra Păduraru

Sensitivity to certain smells is in fact simply a mask of privilege. The significance of a particular smell is not discovered by differentiating it from other smells (there are no independent forms/means to encode these distinctions) but by discriminating the contexts in which a particular smell has value. The social dimension of scent is learned through the hegemonic discourses of a particular space and historical framework—as early as childhood, we learn which smells are pleasant and which are stigmatized. Smell thus becomes an index of one’s position in the social hierarchy. Scents connect (and separate) individuals immediately, without the generalized and conventional forms of consciousness, morality, or aesthetics. It is not an entirely conscious act; an odour repulses us and instantly triggers judgments of value. What happens, however, if we try to filter through the lens of rationality the reasons why certain olfactory essences are socially regarded as pleasant or as potentially dangerous?Article by Ruxandra Păduraru, illustrated by Simina Popescu, read by Katia Pascariu,https://theanthro.art/the-construction-of-an-olfactory-other/