Shopping and the Senses, 1800-1970: A Sensory History of Retail and Consumption

This book demonstrates the primacy of touch, smell, taste, sight and sound within the retail landscape. It shows that histories of the senses, body, and emotions were inextricably intertwined with processes and practices of retail and consumption. Shops are sensory feasts. From the rustle of silk to the tempting aroma of coffee, the multi-sensory appeal of goods has long been at the heart of how we shop. This book delves into and beyond this seductive idyl of consumer sensuality. Shopping was a sensory activity for consumers and retailers alike, but this experience was not always positive. This book is inhabited by tired feet and weary workers, as well as eager shoppers. It considers embodied sensory experiences and practices, and it represents both a celebration and interrogation of the integration of sensory histories into the study of retail and consumption. Crucially, this book places breathing, feeling human bodies back into the retail space.

Author: Serena Dyer
Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
Published: 03/13/2023
Pages: 216
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.62lbs
Size: 8.27h x 5.83w x 0.48d
ISBN: 9783030903374

About the Author
Serena Dyer is Lecturer in History and Material Culture at De Montfort University, UK.