Sensing Change: A Sensory Sociology Framework for Understanding Social Transformation

Alexander V. Markov; Anna V. Sosnovskaya

doi:10.15826/csp.2026.10.2.382

Alexander V. Markov Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russia http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6874-1073
Anna V. Sosnovskaya Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, St. Petersburg, Russia http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9736-0912

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15826/csp.2026.10.2.382

Abstract

Dominant sociological theories of social change, from modernization to institutional analysis, primarily address cognitive, economic, and structural factors, often overlooking the bodily, sensory dimension of transformation. This creates a conceptual gap in understanding how macro-social shifts permeate the level of personhood and vice versa. This article proposes to bridge this gap by developing a comprehensive conceptual framework based on sensory sociology. It argues that social change is not merely a structural or ideological process but a profound sensory reconfiguration. The article begins by tracing the intellectual roots of sensory sociology and its critique of Cartesian dualism. It then sequentially articulates and elaborates four key generative mechanisms that link sensory experience and social change: sensory socialization (the inculcation of norms through the senses), sensory control (the materialization of power in sensory environments), technological transformation of the sensory landscape (the restructuring of perception by new tools), and collective sensory action (the forging of solidarity through shared sensation). Each mechanism is illustrated with historical and contemporary case studies, ranging from the disciplinary regimes of industrial modernity to the digital sensorium of social media and the embodied politics of contemporary social movements. Furthermore, the article addresses methodological innovations required for such an analysis, including a new set of empirical indicators for each mechanism, and responds to potential criticisms. By synthesizing a wide array of interdisciplinary research, the framework demonstrates that integrating the sensory dimension yields a more holistic, dynamic, and materially grounded model of social change. In this model, society shapes the senses through history, technology, and power, and collectively altered sensory experience, in turn, becomes an engine for reshaping society. The proposed framework offers not only a theoretical advancement but also a concrete analytical toolkit for researching contemporary transformational processes, urging sociologists to take the sensuous, embodied fabric of social life seriously.

Author Biographies

Alexander V. Markov, Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russia

Alexander V. Markov, Dr. Sci. (Philology), Professor, Russian State University for the Humanities, Faculty of History of Art, Department of Cinema and Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia. His research interests focus on sensory studies, film theory, sound art, embodiment in media. He has published extensively on the intersection of art, sensory perception, and social theory.

Anna V. Sosnovskaya, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, St. Petersburg, Russia

Anna M. Sosnovskaya, Dr. Sci. (Political Science), Associate Professor, Department of Journalism and Media Communications, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Saint Petersburg, Russia. Her research interests are sensory politics, urban studies, media ecology, social movements. Her current research focuses on the role of sensory experience in political mobilization and urban transformation.

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