.jpg)
How did the fall of the Roman Empire contribute to the Black Plague, and what does animal sacrifice have to do with soapmaking? In History and Art of Soapmaking, seniors Lauren Varanese and Stephanie Miller breakdown the process of soapmaking to the subatomic level while simultaneously exploring the expansive influence of soap and washing practices within modern society.
Present even in the Bible, soap has retained a coveted position in Western society for centuries. Considered by Roman legend to have originated from the mixture of sacrificial fats and oils in the rivers surrounding Mount Sapo, soap quickly became a fundamental part of medicinal and cleansing rituals. Though cleanliness declined in the Middle Ages with the disappearance of Roman washing customs, Queen Elizabeth I was later a fierce proponent of bathing, purportedly taking a bath every four weeks “whether it was necessary or not.” The main turning point occurred after World War I, when soapmaking transformed into a commercial industry, evolving from soap operas into the popular cleaning staple we use today.
This is Lauren’s and Steph’s first time teaching with the Experimental College, but they are enjoying the process immensely: “I like acting as a jumping off point for discussions,” Steph said. “We have such a diverse group of people that when they all come together, you have an interdisciplinary and holistic look at this seemingly unobtrusive object.” Both Lauren and Steph, respectively a biochemistry major and a biology and English double major, represent the diverse spread of expertise that they hope to foster within their course. As the resident chemistry expert, Lauren begins each class with an analysis of the chemical composition of soap itself, preparing the students for the final weeks of class when they will get the chance to actively create their own personalized artisanal soaps. From there, Steph uses soap as a “good place to start to talk about how science and symbolism and history and philosophy all come together in this one little item that tells so much about our society and what we think of ourselves as humans.”
Drawing on sources such as Melville’s novel, Moby Dick, or Hitchcock’s famed screen classic, Psycho, the class investigates ways in which “our ideas of purity and cleanliness versus sin and dirtiness remain similar across many different cultures and times.” Already in the third week of the course, students have read excerpts from Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, and created litmus paper from boiled red cabbage, a natural—albeit colorful—method for testing acidity levels in various liquids. “I like bringing chemistry into everybody’s lives,” Lauren mentioned. “It’s a way to make [the students] think about what they are doing, and to make them more curious about what goes on in their lives.”
Though she is unsure whether the course will continue in the future, Lauren hopes that some form of it does live on. “I noticed that there is nothing fun or approachable about chemistry courses currently [at Tufts], unlike biology courses,” Lauren said. “I wish that everyday chemistry like soapmaking or baking would become more common among chemistry courses.” For now, students gain the knowledge of how to take a “holistic approach” to learning, discovering that academic disciplines are never quite as clean cut as you may think.
Works Cited:
“The Origin and History of Soap.” Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve Company.
https://www.chagrinvalleysoapandsalve.com/blog/posts/what-is-the-origin-of-soap/
(retrieved 4 February 2019)
About the Author
Emma Hodgdon is a senior studying English literature. Apart from reading Gothic fiction, she can be found practicing cello for the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, or dancing with the university’s ballroom dance team. She spends her free time experimenting with calligraphy, learning to speak Chinese, and caring for her succulents, Verotchka and Geraldine.
Comments