5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

For years, climate change was something we sensed only through the mediation of words we heard or read, announcing future scenarios already in the making. Nowadays, climate change can be sensed directly through our skin; we can see, hear, smell, touch, and even taste its effects. Thermoception, the ability to sense temperature changes, has become increasingly relevant as global temperatures rise. Nociception (pain perception) can be linked to the physical discomfort caused by extreme weather events and environmental degradation. Hydroception (the perception of water presence or scarcity) and xeric perception (the awareness of dry conditions) are critical in understanding the sensory experiences of drought. Olfaction, our sense of smell, is affected by pollution and changes in air quality, while gustation, the sense of taste, is influenced by shifts in food production and availability. Audition, our hearing, is impacted by the increasing frequency of natural disasters and the changing soundscapes of our environments. Vision, seeing the tangible effects of climate change such as melting ice caps and deforestation, reinforces the immediacy of the crisis. Since our being-in-the-world is fundamentally a way of sensing it, this session will explore how the sociology of the senses is responding to the immediate challenges of the Anthropocene. By examining our sensory experiences, we aim to better understand and address the profound effects/affects of climate change. This session aims to invite scholars to reflect on the ways in which we sense climate change, establishing a dialogue between those who have researched it through the sensory studies.