Gestural Folklore Globe

Project Overview

The Gestural Folklore Globe is an interactive visualization exploring protective gestures and superstitions across cultures and time periods. This project maps the geographic distribution of folk traditions like knocking on wood, the mano fico (fig sign), the mano cornuta (horn gesture), and linguistic biases associating left with negative and right with positive.

Created by Benjamin Breen as part of the Res Obscura project, this visualization aims to reveal patterns in how human cultures develop similar protective rituals and symbolic associations across vast distances and time spans.

Data & Methodology

Sources

The data for this visualization has been compiled from multiple sources including:

• Ethnographic studies and folklore archives
• Academic papers on gesture and superstition (particularly Schiefenhövel 2013 for left/right bias)
• Historical texts and travelogues documenting local customs
• Wikipedia and other encyclopedic sources for contemporary practices
• Field reports from anthropologists and folklorists

Data Collection Process

Each tradition entry includes:

• Location: Geographic coordinates for where the tradition is documented
• Local Phrase: The vernacular term or phrase used for the gesture/superstition
• Description: How the tradition works and its cultural context
• Type/Category: Classification based on the gesture type or cultural pattern
• Source Attribution: Primary sources for verification

Limitations & Caveats

This visualization represents documented traditions and should not be considered exhaustive. Many oral traditions and local practices may not be represented due to:

• Limited ethnographic documentation in some regions
• Language barriers in accessing primary sources
• The ephemeral nature of folk practices that change over time
• Colonial and Western bias in historical documentation

The geographic points represent approximate locations where traditions have been documented, not definitive boundaries of cultural practices.

How to Use

• Navigate: Drag to rotate the globe, scroll to zoom
• Explore Datasets: Switch between different tradition types using the buttons at the top
• Learn More: Click any marker to see details about that specific tradition
• Research: Use the Google Books search to find academic references
• Context: Expand the Wikipedia section for broader cultural context

Technical Details

Built with D3.js for globe rendering, TopoJSON for geographic data, and the Wikipedia API for contextual information. The visualization uses an orthographic projection to create a rotatable 3D globe effect in the browser.