William Jaggard
College: College of Social Sciences and International Studies
Discipline: Sociology and Philosophy
Department: Anthropology
Research Centre/Unit: SPA
My PhD reserach investiges how the sensory perception of chillies has mediated its adoption into the British culinary conciousness with a specific focus to how a chillies heat or pungency is culturally understood, negotiated and shared by enthusiasts to the wider public.
My reserach aims to utilise aspects of phenomenology, sensory anthropology and the philosophy of pain to help contextualise and understand the growing culture of chilli pepper appreciation in the UK.
Prior to Exeter I completed an undergraduate MA Anthropology and Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen writing my dissertation around an analysis of food and drink quotations in The Analects of Confucius. I then completed my postgraduate MA Anthropology of Food at the School of African and Oriental Studies in London. There I wrote my dissertation on Chili festivals in Britian which has influenced and developed my current PhD research proposal.
