Experiencias sensoriales y prácticas políticas en el Imperio español, siglos xv-xviii

Abstract

Objective/context: This introduction, mainly of a historiographical nature, has two objectives: first, to present the most relevant contributions of sensory history as an interpretative approach that conceives the senses as conditioned by social and cultural factors in a given time and space, and second, to relate sensory experiences with political practices in the Spanish Empire of the fifteenth-eighteenth centuries, contextualizing the contributions of this dossier in this line of research. Methodology: The study analyzes contributions that have allowed the definition of sensory history as a heuristic approach valid for a plurality of fields and topics, which enjoys enormous popularity in the research agenda. Originality: This dossier includes a valuable collection of essays specifically dedicated to the sensory experience in the Hispanic Empire between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries. It is the first thematic issue on this subject. Conclusions: The article places the studies included in this volume within a broader historiographical context while pointing out possible future avenues of research.

Keywords

• history of the senses
• political practices
• sensory experience
• sensory history
• spanish empire