Creating Spices for the Mind

Abstract

ABSTRACTDespite numerous claims to ancient roots, modern Western perfumery is as young as analytic chemistry, coming into existence as recently as the end of the eighteenth century (Luca Turin). Contemporary perfumery is thus only as old as modernity itself and, as such, can be considered both an integral part of European Enlightenment and as something that is—paradoxically—still related to a number of beliefs, assumptions, and cultural practices associated with the premodern world. As the medieval alchemical and astrological discourses sank into oblivion with the advent of modernity that reinvented them as chemistry and astronomy, perfumery emerged from this process as an occupation that relies in its work heavily on the instruments of contemporary science while making some arcane claims more characteristic of the esoteric nature of alchemy and astrology. This article explores possible reasons for such discrepancy and inquires into what roles modern perfumery can play in the today's Western and Russian cultures. The article is based on the author's undefended PhD thesis written for the University of Southern California.