The Center for Cosmopolitan Culture is committed to bridging academic thought and broader public understanding, and somaesthetics embodies this mission in both theory and practice. Originating in pragmatist philosophy, somaesthetics explores the improvement of experience through study and conscious cultivation of the living, sentient body (the soma) as a site of sensory perception, performance, and transformation.
Somaesthetics offers a framework for understanding how cultivating somatic awareness can improve not only our experience and actions but the ways we relate to others and to the different cultures we inhabit. We humans share a common physiology, but our somatic experience is differently shaped by the diverse cultural and social environments we inhabit.
The Center for Cosmopolitan Culture recognizes somaesthetics as a powerful tool for intercultural dialogue. By recognizing the somatic and sensory ground of human experience, while highlighting our potential for improved understanding and aesthetic experiences through cultivating somaesthetic awareness and reflection. As part of our ongoing commitment to accessible, transdisciplinary exploration, we are proud to host and support key projects that advance the field of somaesthetics.
