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A Cultural History of Gesture
Addressing a vast range of topics - from modes of walking and oratorical gestures in Greece and Rome to the manners of the present-day Andalusian tavern - this volume is the first comprehensive treatment of the historical and anthropological meaning of gesture.
In the ten lively and informative essays collected here, eminent scholars from various disciplines share the common premise that the human body is no less a historical document than any charter, diary, or parish register. Taken together, the essays demonstrate that behind apparently trivial differences of gesture lie profound differences of social relationship and attitude.
This will be an indispensable resource for scholars and students in such fields as European history, cultural studies, anthropology, religious studies, folklore, and art history.
In the ten lively and informative essays collected here, eminent scholars from various disciplines share the common premise that the human body is no less a historical document than any charter, diary, or parish register. Taken together, the essays demonstrate that behind apparently trivial differences of gesture lie profound differences of social relationship and attitude.
This will be an indispensable resource for scholars and students in such fields as European history, cultural studies, anthropology, religious studies, folklore, and art history.
268 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
About the author
Jan N. Bremmer
44 books21 followersProf. em. Dr. Jan Nicolaas Bremmer (Ph.D., Free University Amsterdam, 1979) is Professor emeritus for Religious Studies in the Faculty for Religious Studies and Theology at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, where he twice held the post of Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 28, 2013
habitus mentis enim in corporis status cernitur (St. Ambrose)....
Detailed, thoroughly bibliographed (slightly dry) academic studies of gesture. The Chapters are (I will add details as I go along):
Introduction. Keith Thomas (Very interesting). pp. 1-14
Ch. 1: Walking, Standing, and Sitting in Ancient Greek Culture. Jan Bremmer (Sterling scholarship), 15-35
Ch. 2: Gestures and Conventions (in Roman Oratory/Quintillian) and Stage). Fritz Graf
(in oratory, gesture was part of actio/hypokrisis and was formalized. Graf is an outstanding scholar),
pp. 36-58
Ch. 3: The Rational of Gestures in the West (3rd-13th cen.). J.-C. Schmitt, pp. 59-70. Very superficial
Ch. 4: The Language of Gesture in Early Modern Italy. Peter Burke (author of a Social History of Knowledge).
pp. 71-83
Academic conference papers - somewhat dry. Interesting, but uneven. The remainder of the ToC is:
Ch. 5: The Renaissance Elbow (84-128)
Ch. 6: Gesture in the ancien Regime (129-151)
Ch. 7: Shaking hands in the Dutch Republic (152-189)
Ch. 8: 18th cen. Poland - Gesture (190-209)
Ch. 9: The Kiss sacred and profane - Cross-cultural (210-236)
Ch. 10 Gestured Masculinity in rural Andalusia (237-252)
Followed by a detailed bibliography at pp. 253-260, plus index nominum et rerum
Detailed, thoroughly bibliographed (slightly dry) academic studies of gesture. The Chapters are (I will add details as I go along):
Introduction. Keith Thomas (Very interesting). pp. 1-14
Ch. 1: Walking, Standing, and Sitting in Ancient Greek Culture. Jan Bremmer (Sterling scholarship), 15-35
Ch. 2: Gestures and Conventions (in Roman Oratory/Quintillian) and Stage). Fritz Graf
(in oratory, gesture was part of actio/hypokrisis and was formalized. Graf is an outstanding scholar),
pp. 36-58
Ch. 3: The Rational of Gestures in the West (3rd-13th cen.). J.-C. Schmitt, pp. 59-70. Very superficial
Ch. 4: The Language of Gesture in Early Modern Italy. Peter Burke (author of a Social History of Knowledge).
pp. 71-83
Academic conference papers - somewhat dry. Interesting, but uneven. The remainder of the ToC is:
Ch. 5: The Renaissance Elbow (84-128)
Ch. 6: Gesture in the ancien Regime (129-151)
Ch. 7: Shaking hands in the Dutch Republic (152-189)
Ch. 8: 18th cen. Poland - Gesture (190-209)
Ch. 9: The Kiss sacred and profane - Cross-cultural (210-236)
Ch. 10 Gestured Masculinity in rural Andalusia (237-252)
Followed by a detailed bibliography at pp. 253-260, plus index nominum et rerum
March 3, 2026
when i picked this up i was intrigued by the title and subject, but barely got through it when actually reading it.
ugh i want to be a person who can say they're interested in why pointed elbows in portraits during the renaissance was groundbreaking, but i'm simply not (even though this was the least dry chapter). to the academics who study this: i am happy for you, (truly).
plus this incredibly serious quote made me laugh on the bus, so that bumped it up one star: "I am, however, more fascinated with Jagger's swaggering ancestors and will concern myself with the Renaissance Man's more emotive and increasingly assertive (but hitherto neglected) elbow."
felt very satirical... but that just goes to show that i'm not the target audience!
anyway, i found myself wishing that the writers went deeper into the historical implications of the gestures they were discussing and the impacts on social dynamics at the time. instead, it felt like a smorgasbord of examples upon examples of the same thing (i.e. the gesticulation chapter) without reaching a strong central point.
given that it's a series of essays, the quality of the pieces also heavily depended on the passion of the authors. the chapters on polish social customs and greek walking stances were more enticing to read because the writing felt more grounded, unlike the chapters on roman actors and western rationale for gesture which felt trivial. bummed that i couldn't get into it because the topics do sound compelling and i wish i took away more from it.
the introduction was intriguing and delved into the history of these studies and its space in anthropology. it felt very self-aware that this is truly the niche of all niches and that was an effective counterpoint to some of the more tedious chapters.
ultimately it's a book written by academics to academics about physiognomy, so i admit defeat. flew too close to the sun on this one and now my elbows are rounded and unassertive :(
ugh i want to be a person who can say they're interested in why pointed elbows in portraits during the renaissance was groundbreaking, but i'm simply not (even though this was the least dry chapter). to the academics who study this: i am happy for you, (truly).
plus this incredibly serious quote made me laugh on the bus, so that bumped it up one star: "I am, however, more fascinated with Jagger's swaggering ancestors and will concern myself with the Renaissance Man's more emotive and increasingly assertive (but hitherto neglected) elbow."
felt very satirical... but that just goes to show that i'm not the target audience!
anyway, i found myself wishing that the writers went deeper into the historical implications of the gestures they were discussing and the impacts on social dynamics at the time. instead, it felt like a smorgasbord of examples upon examples of the same thing (i.e. the gesticulation chapter) without reaching a strong central point.
given that it's a series of essays, the quality of the pieces also heavily depended on the passion of the authors. the chapters on polish social customs and greek walking stances were more enticing to read because the writing felt more grounded, unlike the chapters on roman actors and western rationale for gesture which felt trivial. bummed that i couldn't get into it because the topics do sound compelling and i wish i took away more from it.
the introduction was intriguing and delved into the history of these studies and its space in anthropology. it felt very self-aware that this is truly the niche of all niches and that was an effective counterpoint to some of the more tedious chapters.
ultimately it's a book written by academics to academics about physiognomy, so i admit defeat. flew too close to the sun on this one and now my elbows are rounded and unassertive :(
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews