Smelling and hearing the history of schools

Sensescapes in the second half of the 20th century as seen through memories of copy machines and PA systems

Authors

• Tiina Männistö-Funk Turun yliopistossa
• Kaarina Kilpiö Sibelius-Akatemia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33350/ka.143342

Keywords:

school memories, school history, photocopiers, PA systems, sensory memories, sensescapes

Abstract

The article explores the history of schools from the point of view of the senses and memory. We take a closer look at school attendance in the 1950s through 1990s as a material and affective experience by examining the sensory memories associated with two educational technologies – photocopiers and PA systems. Three peripheries of the history of education are involved: the material or embodied memories, the neglected senses, and the technological infrastructure. Sensory memories serve as guides to the material assemblages of schools. We consider the sensory landscapes that technology-related school memories reveal, and what they can tell us about schools as embodied and material assemblages. The sensory memories associated with photocopiers school PA systems illuminate the sensory landscapes of schools as, on one hand, highly predictable and controlled, but also, on the other hand, as enabling and facilitating surprises, creativity, and autonomy. We conclude by proposing a broader application of the sensory perspective to studying schools and memory.