New Books Network Hsuan L Hsu, "Olfactory Worldmaking" (U Minnesota Press, 2026)
Mar 24, 2026
Hsuan L. Hsu, Professor of English working at the intersections of environmental humanities, sensory studies, and critical ethnic studies. He explores smellscapes and how scent carries memory, race, and colonial histories. He discusses diasporic scents, speculative olfaction in fiction and art, toxic and extractive odor contexts, and how scent can reimagine more just atmospheres.
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Smell As A Speculative Medium For Worldmaking
- Smell can be a speculative medium for worldmaking that reorients relationships across humans and nonhumans.
- Hsuan L. Hsu reframes sensory studies toward imagining alternative atmospheres and futures beyond merely registering toxicity.
Smellscapes Distribute Memory Unevenly
- Smellscapes distribute memory unevenly, shaped by colonial deodorization that privileges certain fragrances.
- Hsu calls attention to stigmatized or eradicated scents that erase collective memories from settler landscapes.
Center Smell To Envision Just Atmospheres
- Center breathing and smell to imagine atmospheres that exceed systemic racism rather than only analyzing its harms.
- Hsu urges focusing on surviving racism and materializing atmospheres for just, livable worlds of care.
