GESTAS KAIP KULTŪROS ŽENKLAS IR CIVILIZUOTAS JUDESYS
GESTURE AS A SIGN OF CULTURE AND CIVILIZED MOVEMENT

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this article is to survey the literature on gestures and discuss the usefulness of the available theories of gestures for explanation of cultural phenomena. To achieve this aim, the author presents the history of the research on gestures identifying the fields of study which were interested in gestures. The paradigms in the study of gestures are sorted out and their change is discussed. After discussing differences in the approaches to the study of gestures and expressive movements, the author proposes her own definition of gestures. Taking this definition as the starting point and using the evidence from the cultural anthropology and history, the article discusses the techniques which have been used for gesture shaping in different cultures. Summarizing the contemporary tendencies in the researches on gestures, it is maintained that the research on gestures is under transformation into anthropology of dance/motion.

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