Description
Existing theoretical discourses posit that handshake is either a performance gesture or just an act of impersonation. But this mistakes exceptions for a rule. True, some handshakes, especially iconic handshakes, are highly choreographed (i.e., Arafat-Rabin, Castro-Obama, Gorbachev-Reagan). However, most diplomatic handshakes occur in a one-on-one setting, with little if any public to witness the interaction. This paper argues that the aesthetic aspects of handshake are neither the only nor always salient motivations in an actor's handshake gesture. Rather, handshake is a basic anthropological feature, which foregrounds significant characteristics of diplomatic encounters: It is an evaluative modality (assessing others); it conveys a self-referential meaning (that is, actor present themselves); it facilitates coordination between actors with different interests (negotiation of content’s interactions); and it expresses respect and etiquette. By emphasizing these characteristics, it is possible to better understand the competing circumstances, obligations and motivations that affect the negotiation of comfortable distance in diplomatic encounters.
