Cambridge University defends scholar amid online backlash over viral thesis on smell and society
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Cambridge University has publicly supported Dr. Ally Louks, a PhD scholar who recently faced online abuse after a social media post celebrating her academic achievement went viral.
The post, in which Dr. Louks announced she had passed her viva with no corrections, gained significant attention but also sparked harassment, including misogynistic bullying and threats.
In a statement, Cambridge University condemned the abuse and praised Dr. Louks' work. “Dr. Louks, we support you,” the statement began. It noted that her post on X (formerly Twitter) had reached over 100 million views and drew attention to her research topic, Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose.
Dr. Louks’ thesis explores the role of olfactory discourse - the language of smell and its imaginative impact - in shaping societal structures, an area the university described as both innovative and important.
The right-leaning segment of X has taken particular offence to her thesis saying politics of smell is not a worthy topic and it provided nothing of value. Many called it a "completely ludicrous waste of university resources, time, and energy."
Dr Louks further posted the abstract for her thesis to highlight what her work is about and clear confusion around it.
The olfactory discourse she studied is about how smells and the imagination of smells influence and structure social life. Specifically, it examines how smell is used in literature to enforce or subvert systems of power related to gender, class, race, and sexuality, with a focus on both modern and contemporary prose fiction. She also explored it, especially in cases of gendered, racial, and class-based oppression.
She has analysed class antipathies and homelessness through George Orwell’s The Road to Wigan Pier and Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, highlighting how smell is used to signify social hierarchies. Virginia Woolf’s Flush and Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch were studied because they present smell as a key to utopian and otherworldly experiences. Toni Morrison and Raven Leilani's works were analysed for anti-Black racism and misogyny.
The university acknowledged the mixed response to the viral post. While thousands of commenters celebrated Dr. Louks’ achievement, others targeted her with sexist and disparaging remarks about her research and credentials. Despite the negativity, Dr. Louks expressed gratitude for the widespread support she received, noting that the majority of the 11,000 comments and 20,000 retweets were from individuals showing curiosity and kindness.
Cambridge's statement also congratulated Dr. Louks on her accomplishment, emphasizing the university’s commitment to fostering intellectual exploration free from harassment. Like Dr. Louks' original post, the university’s supportive response has also gone viral, garnering praise for its stance against online bullying.