Who we are

Founded in 2002, the International Society for Gesture Studies (ISGS) is the only international scholarly association devoted to the study of human gesture. Gesture studies is a rich (and actually very old), interdisciplinary field, broadly concerned with examining the use of the hands and other parts of the body for communicative purposes. Gesture has been found to be indispensable from many arenas of human life, including thought, collaborative work, science, art, music and dance. Engineers seek to build computers that recognize hand-gestures. Cognitive scientists see in them windows into the human mind. Gesture researchers work in diverse academic and creative disciplines including anthropology, linguistics, psychology, history, neuroscience, communication, art history, performance studies, computer science, music, theater, and dance.

Typical research areas include:

• the roles and organization of gesture in face-to-face conversation
• universal and cultural aspects of gesture
• gesture's relationship to thought and language
• the role of gesture in human evolution and child development
• gesture and its relations to other media (multimodality)
• gesture in the workplace
• the evolution of sign languages from gesture

What we do

The purpose of ISGS is to promote gesture studies worldwide, to facilitate dialogue among researchers, professionals, and the interested public, across disciplinary and institutional boundaries, and to integrate the study of gesture with investigations into a diverse range of forms of cognitive, communicative, and cultural life of human groups. Our major projects include the organization of conferences (Austin 2002, Lyon 2005, Chicago 2007, Frankfurt 2010) and support of the international journal Gesture. We are also preparing to organize training opportunities (summer schools, seminars) in methods of studying gesture and multimodal communication and the publication of papers from our conferences. ISGS aims to foster the growth of gesture studies as an academic field at all levels of research and teaching institutions. A complete statement of our goals can be found in the bylaws.

Where we came from

The founding of ISGS during the inaugural conference, Gesture: The Living Medium, held at the University of Texas at Austin in June 2002, was the culmination of several initiatives by a growing network of scholars and their working meetings and conferences held in Italy, Portugal, France, and Germany beginning in the late 1990s. By-laws were passed and the Executive Board was elected during the first General Assembly during the Austin conference. ISGS is incorporated as a non-profit corporation in the State of Texas. Since 2002, the ISGS convenes regularly at the General Assembly meetings held at its periodic conferences, where it also elects its Executive Board. The minutes of our past meetings can be found here. A history of how the ISGS started can be found in this article.

Join us

A growing organization, ISGS welcomes all interested individuals and institutions to support gesture studies by becoming a member. Click here for membership benefits. Open and download the membership application form. Also join our mailing list to stay informed about the latest news on publications, conferences, and workshops.

Contact

Send e-mail to Simon Harrison or Anna Kuhlen
for membership Spencer Kelly