{"product_id":"the-life-of-the-senses-sensory-studies-essential-for-sensory","title":"The Life of the Senses (Sensory Studies) - Essential for Sensory","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this review of The Life of the Senses (Sensory Studies), readers learn why Francois Laplantine's translation belongs on the shelf of anyone studying perception, culture, or method in anthropology. The book is both a theoretical statement and a practical illustration drawn from fieldwork in Brazil and Japan, and it most compellingly serves researchers and graduate students who want to reorient analysis toward sensation, rhythm and tonalities rather than only signs and structures. This review highlights the book's core argument and practical value as a catalyst for sensory studies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eKey Features\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eModal anthropology:\u003c\/strong\u003e Presents a clear case for shifting attention away from sign-dominant methods toward an anthropology of modes and tonalities, which helps readers reconceptualize field data.\u003c\/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFieldwork examples:\u003c\/strong\u003e Draws on concrete research in Brazil and Japan to illustrate how sensory experience is lived and analyzed across different cultural contexts, offering practical ethnographic grounding.\u003c\/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eInterdisciplinary sources:\u003c\/strong\u003e Integrates philosophy, literature and cinema to broaden analytical tools and demonstrate how sensory analysis benefits from multiple traditions of thought.\u003c\/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePolitics of the sensible:\u003c\/strong\u003e Argues for linking sensation, meaning and sociality to open avenues for ethical and political reflection in research practice.\u003c\/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTheoretical clarity:\u003c\/strong\u003e Supplies a sustained argument that challenges conventional primacy of structure and sign, useful for seminar discussion and methodological teaching.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWho It's For\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is best for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and professional anthropologists interested in methodological innovation and sensory ethnography. Those writing theses or designing fieldwork will find the interplay of theory and example helpful when rethinking data collection and interpretation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLess suitable for readers seeking an introductory textbook or hands-on field manual with step-by-step techniques; the emphasis is on conceptual reorientation and analytical perspective rather than procedural checklists.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePros \u0026amp; Cons\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePros\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eOffers a persuasive alternative framework for anthropology that foregrounds sensation and rhythm over sign and structure.\u003c\/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eUses rich, comparative fieldwork in Brazil and Japan to make abstract ideas tangible and relatable.\u003c\/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eConnects sensory inquiry to broader cultural resources like literature and cinema, expanding analytical possibilities.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCons\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eReaders seeking a procedural field guide may find the book more theoretical than methodological.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTitle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eThe Life of the Senses (Sensory Studies)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAuthor\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFrancois Laplantine\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSubject\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSensory studies, anthropology, cultural theory\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGeographic focus\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFieldwork examples from Brazil and Japan\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eApproach\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eModal anthropology; politics of the sensible\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eInterdisciplinarity\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePhilosophy, literature, cinema\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eOur Verdict\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLaplantine's book is a valuable, conceptually rich contribution for anyone wanting to rethink ethnographic practice through the lens of sensation and sociality. It is particularly good value for researchers and students who need theoretical grounding and cross-cultural examples to support sensory methods, though those after step-by-step field techniques may need to supplement it with more practical guides.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes this book include real fieldwork examples?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes, the author draws on his own research in Brazil and Japan to illustrate theoretical points and sensory methods.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this a practical field manual?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo, the book is primarily theoretical and methodological; it reframes approaches to sensory data rather than offering procedural checklists.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWho is the intended academic audience?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book is aimed at graduate students, anthropologists and scholars in cultural studies interested in sensory ethnography and methodological innovation.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Francois Laplantine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48194857500891,"sku":"1472524845","price":190.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1043\/1707\/files\/51Zzwf5vprL._SL1241.jpg?v=1770263765","url":"https:\/\/gearmusthave.com\/products\/the-life-of-the-senses-sensory-studies-essential-for-sensory","provider":"GearMustHave","version":"1.0","type":"link"}