Alex Rhys-Taylor

In this book, Alex Rhys-Taylor offers a ground-breaking sensory ethnography of East London. Drawing on the multicultural context of London, one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, he explores concepts such as gentrification, class antagonism, new ethnicities and globalization. Rhys-Taylor shows how London is characterized by its rich history of socioeconomic change and multiculture, exploring how its smells and food are integral to understanding both its history and the reality of London’s urban present. From the fiery chillies sold by street grocers which are linked to years of cultural exchange, through ‘cuisines of origin’ like jellied eels to hybridized dishes such as the chicken katsu wrap, sensory experiences are key to understanding the complex cultural genealogies of the city and its social life.Each of the eight chapters combines micro histories of ingredients such as fried chicken, bush-meat and curry sauce, featuring narratives from individuals that provide a unique, engaging account of the evolution of taste and culture through time and space.With its innovative methodology, this is a highly original contribution to the fields of sensory studies, food studies, urban studies and cultural studies.

A Sensory Ethnography of East London

Food and Multiculture

Charlotte Bates

As an ethnographic method walking has a long history, but it has only recently begun to attract focused attention. By walking alongside participants, researchers have been able to observe, experience, and make sense of a broad range of everyday practices. At the same time, the idea of talking and walking with participants has enabled research to be informed by the landscapes in which it takes place. By sharing conversations in place, and at the participants’ pace, sociologists are beginning to develop both a feel for, and a theoretical understanding of, the transient, embodied and multisensual aspects of walking. The result, as this collection demonstrates, is an understanding of the social world evermore congruent with people’s lived experiences of it. This interdisciplinary collection comprises a unique journey through a variety of walking methodologies. The collection highlights a range of possibilities for enfolding sound, smell, emotion, movement and memory into our accounts, illustrating the sensuousness, skill, pitfalls and rewards of walking as a research practice. Each chapter draws on original empirical research to present ways of walking and to discuss the conceptual, practical and technical issues that walking entails. Alongside feet on the ground, the devices and technologies that make up hybrid research mobilities are brought to attention. The collection is bookended by two short pedestrian essays that take the reader on illustrative urban walks, suggesting routes through the city, as well as ways in which the reader might make their own path through walking methods. An innovative title, Walking Through Social Research will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers and academics who are interested in Sociology, Geography, Cultural Studies, Urban Studies and Qualitative Research Methods.

Walking Through Social Research

With its 8.3 million occupants, London is a bustling and diverse metropolis characterized by rich histories of socioeconomic change, multiculturalism and diversity. The multiplicity of smells and tastes which can be experienced in the city are integral both to an understanding of its history and the reality of the city's urban present. From the mangos sold by street grocers and links with years of cultural exchange, to the rise of culturally hybridized foodstuffs and dishes such as the chicken katsu wrap, the exploration of sensory experience in the urban context is key to understanding the complex cultural genealogies of the city and its social life. Sociologist Alex Rhys-Taylor charts a groundbreaking new sensory ethnography in an urban multicultural context, exploring the relevance of sociological concepts such as gentrification, multiculturalism, sustainability and globalization whilst each chapter offers micro histories of ingredients and narratives of individuals, providing a vibrant demonstration of the evolution of taste and culture through time and space.

Alex Rhys-Taylor

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