Sensorium

How many senses are there, really? Do the senses have a history? What makes smell 'the affective sense' par excellence? Are the senses so many independent channels, or do they interact with and modulate each other? And, if so, how might we cultivate the capacity to see feelingly or smell colours? These are among the questions to be addressed in this Element. It pries the senses and perception loose from the psychology laboratory to focus on how they have been constructed and lived differently in different historical periods and across cultures. Many of its findings are surprising because they run counter to our common-sense assumptions about the sensorium. They make uncommon sense. Plus the reader will meet some fascinating historical characters like the prolific C17th natural philosopher Margaret Cavendish (also author of the play The Convent of Pleasure) and the late C19th artist James McNeill Whistler, who infused his paintings with music.

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Banter as transformative practice: linguistic play and joking relationships in a UK swimming club

Heath

2024

Humor

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This article investigates the multiple interpretations and uses of banter as an inclusive and exclusionary practice amongst competitive youth swimmers in the Southeast of England. As a metacommunicative act, banter is a form of linguistic play that focuses on the ways in which the words are delivered, and the social relationships involved between those engaged in banter. Through an immersive “apprenticeship” within a competitive swimming club from 2018 to 2022, I was party to particular forms of English “humorous” communication and invitations to join in banter with coaches and swimmers. As competitive swimming can be a monotonous activity, with long periods between competitions and nigh endless repetition of training drills, coaches encouraged swimmers’ engagement in banter as an inclusive strategy for squad cohesiveness and to stave off boredom throughout the swimming season. Playful teasing was used to invite engagement in banter from one or more people, helping to foster social bonds, develop joking relationships, and create a relaxed atmosphere within training spaces. Mockery and teasing used to initiate banter were also mobilized as exclusionary social positioning strategies to test the limits of social interaction and define oneself against others. This article asserts that despite the nearly-totalitarian position of the coach within high-performance swimming humorous or joking banter does not simply function as a morale-booting activity or as a substitute for active resistance against monotonous training requirements. By paying attention to the intersubjective processes within joking relationships, here through banter, we can see how youth actively navigate sociality and assert their agency within institutional training environments.

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Sensorium

Cited by 3 publications

References 91 publications

“What is this?”: Multisensorial explorations of food with and without sight

“What is this?”: Multisensorial explorations of food with and without sight

Sensorium

Banter as transformative practice: linguistic play and joking relationships in a UK swimming club

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