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���ӽ紫ýResearcher Receives Grant for ‘Somaesthetics of Atmosphere’

Richard Shusterman, Ph.D., project director and the Dorothy F. Schmidt Eminent Scholar in the Humanities, ���ӽ紫ýDorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters.

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���ӽ紫ý’s Richard Shusterman, Ph.D., has received a grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund to explore a relatively recent topic in the humanities and arts that commands growing attention – “atmosphere.”

The primary definition of the word “atmosphere” is “the envelope of gases surrounding the earth,” which implies it is the climate that surrounds an individual. Its secondary meaning of “the pervading tone or mood of a place, situation or work of art” also places atmosphere outside the body. While both meanings place atmosphere outside the body, Chinese terminology for atmosphere tells a different story. Its word for atmosphere, qifen, is based on the concept of qi, denoting inner energy and vital breath as well as external air.

The ���ӽ紫ýproject, “Somaesthetics of Atmosphere,” will investigate atmosphere as a transactional, transformational connecting force that works bot