Sniffing out differences : bodily smells and race in Singapore

• Main Author: Chia, Amanda Sze Ming
• Other Authors: Kamaludeen Bin Mohamed Nasir
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/70145
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This study investigates the olfactory perceptions of young, university educated, Chinese Individuals on individuals from other ethnic groups. Given that race is a particularly salient category in a multi-racial country like Singapore, I am therefore interested to find out the extent to which bodily smells represent a manifestation of racism. Is racism the only form of prejudice or are there also other biases that play a role in influencing the olfactory perceptions of my target group? As such, my findings are organized according into the themes of i) Smell and Race, ii) Olfaction and the Chinese-Singaporean and iii) Influence of Class on Olfactory Impression, wherein I examine whether and how olfactory perceptions of my target group are mediated by race, class and cultural aspects of their identity