2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
A History of Knowledge, Materials and Expertise in the Twentieth-Century Global Perfume Industry
| Project/Area Number |
17H06576
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Sociology/History of science and technology
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| Research Institution | The University of Tokyo |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2017-08-25 – 2019-03-31
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| Keywords | history of science / perfume industry / chemical industry / twentieth century / expertise / history of business / industrial research |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
My research focuses on the history of the twentieth-century perfume industry from a global history of science and technology perspective. In this research, I pursued a novel approach by examining the production and management of knowledge, materials and expertise in fragrance companies. Perfumes are difficult to manufacture, both in chemical and aesthetic terms. My interest was in examining how perfume companies manage these difficulties to make successful products that change the smells we encounter in daily life: how they balance chemical knowledge, industry and engineering on one hand, and artistic sensibility and olfactory expertise on the other. With this grant, I obtained access to both business and academic archives in the Unites States, the UK, France, Germany and Switzerland. I also presented my research at several international conferences. This grant has contributed to an article manuscript now in revision and to the development of my forthcoming book project.
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| Free Research Field |
History of science and technology
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
This work reveals the industrial production of perfumes, fairly unknown because the focus has been on perfumers' lives and perfumes' cultural value. It also uncovers how science works in an industry not often recognized as scientific but which requires high levels of technical skill and expertise.
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