Cambridge teacher earns PhD with thesis on ‘politics of smell’; Her ‘achievement’ leaves internet divided

Dr Ally Louks has a new achievement in her kitty and the internet has some thoughts on it. Dr Louks, a Cambridge teacher, recently earned a PhD and her dissertation has caused a stir online. However, it’s not her achievement, that raises the question, but the unusual topic of her research is the topic of discussion.

Dr Louks, the Cambridge teacher, shared the update that she had successfully delivered her dissertation and passed her "viva with no corrections." While the accomplishment would typically go unnoticed, her thesis subject immediately caught the internet’s attention. Her dissertation, titled ‘Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose’, sparked a debate online after she revealed the topic of her PhD thesis.
While several social media users dismissed studying olfactory themes in literature as "irrelevant", supporters praised its innovative approach, arguing it sheds light on overlooked aspects of human perception, social dynamics, and intersections of class, race, and gender.
She posted a photo of herself in a red outfit, carrying her PhD thesis in hand, and wrote, “Thrilled to say I passed my viva with no corrections and am officially PhDone.” Her smile told the story of how happy and grateful she is to have achieved the milestone.


Dr Louks also shared some snippets of her thesis, titled "Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose". The first chapter of her thesis delved into how smell is used to express class distinctions, particularly in relation to homelessness, drawing on George Orwell’s works and other popular media.
The abstract of her dissertation also highlighted the intersectional approach taken to understand olfactory oppression in literature and delved into how scent is represented in literature and its role in shaping social power structures around gender, class, race, and even species power structures. The abstract read, “This thesis studies how literature registers the importance of olfactory discourse-the language of smell and the olfactory imagination it creates-in structuring our social world.”
It added, “The broad aim of this thesis is to offer an intersectional and wide-ranging study of olfactory oppression by establishing the underlying logic that facilitates smell's application in creating and subverting gender, class, sexual, racial, and species power structures.”

The first chapter of Dr Louk’s thesis analysed how smell is used to signify class distinctions, drawing on George Orwell’s works and popular media to explore societal perceptions of homelessness.

Although, Dr Louk’s academic feat was impressive, it was her research’s unique focus that sparked debate. Several users were quite taken aback by the topic itself. One of them was really astounded and asked, “Smell’s role in social power structures? Is this for real?” Someone else said almost in a dismissal tone, “I can’t imagine spending years on something this intangible.”
Thousands of users flocked to her page to express surprise and, in many cases, ridicule over the unconventional topic. One internet user even went on to write, “This is why someone telling you they’re a PhD from some formerly elite university means nothing anymore.”
However, some netizens came in support of Dr Louks and highlighted her innovative topic and fresh approach. One said, “Overlooked aspects like the smell in literature can tell us a lot about human perception,” while another user praised Dr Louk’s courage saying, “It’s bold to take on something so unconventional, who knows what implications it could uncover?”