Latin American Sensorium.

Call for Book Chapters.

Editor: Dr. Cristóbal F Barria Bignotti
Series: Sensory Studies
Publisher: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group

Latin America has often been associated with sensory exuberance. From the narratives of early explorers to contemporary exhibitions of Latin American art, references to touch, taste, hearing, sight and smell have always been part of the imagery through which the region's exoticism has been constructed. References to sensory experience were also part of the political-cultural project of “Latinamericanism”, which in the mid-twentieth century promoted identification with a common cultural base for the Latin-speaking countries of the continent, as opposed to influences from the North. Beyond the essentialism of these positions, this volume seeks to trace the sensory diversity from which Latin America has been experienced.

During the last decades, the notion of Latin America has been critically examined, calling for a shift in the paradigm through which it has been approached within the field of Latin American studies. Rather than treating it as an external object of study, distant from the centers of knowledge production, it has been increasingly considered as a "place of enunciation." This volume acknowledges the significance of this shift while also aiming to go beyond this 'enunciative' approach by exploring the diverse ways in which the idea of Latin America has been mediated through multisensory experiences.

The main aim of this book is to explore the sensory experience of Latin America. Going beyond the assumption of the existence of “Latin America” as a given. Instead, this book seeks precisely to delve into the sensory complexities that shape the perception of this region as such. Latin American Sensorium explores the representations of the senses, the sensory hierarchies, and the modes of performance of the senses that mediate the perception of a connection between the different communities covered by this term.

Contributions
Chapter proposals may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
• The sensory perception of exoticism in and about Latin America,
• The critique of visual hegemony from Latin America,
• The sensory configurations that mediate both colonization and decolonization movements on the continent,
• The representations of the senses in Latin American modernist projects,
• The sensory exuberance of the neo-baroque movement,
• The sensory mediation of Latin American revolutionary processes,
• The intersection between national, Latino Americanist, and indigenous sensory practices,
• The sensory experiments of Latin American avant-garde art movements.
• The sensory mediation of social distinctions (gender, race, etc.) in the region.

Contributions are invited that approach the subject from a variety of perspectives, including literary criticism, art history, gender studies, ethnicity and race studies, sports studies, anthropology, history, public health studies, urban studies, architecture, musicology, among others.

The initial proposal for the book has already been accepted by Routledge.

Submission Instructions:
Interested contributors are invited to submit an abstract of up to 500 words (excluding spaces), along with a brief biography (100-150 words).

Proposals should be submitted to the editor Cristóbal F Barria Bignotti (cfbarriabignottigmail.com) by 01/09/2025.

Any questions or inquiries should be directed to the editor.

The selection of contributing authors will be announced in October 2025 and those selected must submit a first definitive version of their chapter by 01/03/2026.

Link to the Sensory Studies series from Routledge:
https://www.routledge.com/Sensory-Studies/book-series/BLANTSS?srsltid=AfmBOoqSh6QY8Mq3q