Spectrums of thought in gesture
Using gestures to analyze concepts in philosophy
This study examines the form and function of gestural depictions that develop over extended stretches of concept
explanation by a philosopher. Building on Streeck’s (2009) explorations of depiction by
gesture, we examine how this speaker’s process of exposition involves sequences of multimodal, analogical depiction by which the
philosophical concepts are not only expressed through gesture forms, but also dynamically analyzed and construed through gestural
activity. Drawing on perspectives of gesture as active meaning making (Müller 2014,
2016, Streeck 2009), we argue that the
build-up of gestures in depiction sequences, activated through a multimodal metaphor (Müller
& Cienki 2009), engages the wider philosophical standpoint of the speaker. Using video analysis supported by
interview data, we demonstrate how examination of gestures within and across discourse can lead to understanding of how dynamic,
embodied, and subjective processes of conceptualization contribute to philosophical theorizing.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Background
- 3.How do gestures depict and analyze content in spoken discourse?
- 4.Methods and procedures
- 5.Analysis
- 5.1Depiction in the explanation of the concept cinematicity
- 5.1.1Papal canopy description and depiction
- 5.1.2Establishment of virtual canopy space and carved stone images
- 5.1.3Bulging sculpture on the canopy columns depicting pregnancy
- 5.1.4Illustration of birth as represented in the sculpture
- 5.2Depiction in the explanation of the concept chimerica
- 6.Discussion
- 7.Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- Note
-
References
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