Call for Papers: ‘A Sense of Nature’, SHNH International Summer Meeting, Lecture Theatre, Kelvin Hall, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, 19-20 June 2025
The Society for the History of Natural History
is a diverse community of people united by an active interest in the study of natural history through time, believing that a greater awareness of how nature has been considered, documented, valued and exploited by societies and individuals worldwide leads to a deeper understanding and celebration of nature.
The Society is known for its friendliness and its meetings combine intellectual excellence with opportunities for an informal exchange of ideas. It is a focal point for the history of all aspects of natural history. This includes art, literature, biography and bibliography as well as investigative historical studies
A Sense of Nature
This two-day international meeting will explore the intersections of the senses – including sight (vision), sound (hearing), smell (olfaction), taste (gustation) and touch (tactile perception) – with the history of natural history.
We invite scholars, researchers and practitioners to submit papers that delve into the sensory dimensions and their roles, and the importance of the senses in shaping our understanding of the natural world over time.
The ‘sensory turn’ in a range of humanities and social sciences disciplines has led to innovative research exploring how sensory experiences shape cultural and historical narratives. Within natural history, the management of the senses has been instrumental in shaping our knowledge of and interactions with the natural world. The roles of sight, smell and taste in plant and animal identification, the place of smell and touch in modern museum galleries as gateways for public engagement, and our fascination with how natural things use their own senses to adapt to and thrive in their natural environments, all reflect the ways in which the senses, and knowledge of them, are integral to past and present navigation of the natural world.
Visual representations of nature: Discussing the impact of visual media, such as illustrations, photographs, and films, on the perception and study of natural history.- Historical narratives and sensory experiences: Exploring sensory experiences in historical narratives in natural history.
- The role of sound archives in natural history: Exploring how sound recordings and archives contribute to our understanding of natural environments and species.
- Touch within the museum: Examining the tactile experiences in museums and how they can help convey historical narratives to the public.
- Taste and natural history: Investigating the historical significance of taste in the study of plants, animals, and other natural substances.
- Smell and the natural world: Analysing the role of olfactory experiences in the documentation and interpretation of the natural world.
- Nature and its senses: Discussion of historical studies into particular species and their sensory adaptations.
Abstracts for 20-minute papers should be submitted to Dr Elle Larsson, Meetings Secretary at: meetings@shnh.org.uk. Please include a title, an abstract (up to 250 words) and a speaker biography (up to 100 words). Please ensure these are combined in a single Word document and that the document title includes your name.
The deadline for submission is 14 March 2025.