2005 Articles

Politeness in Europe

Klein, Carina

Is this true of all Westerners? And what exactly do we mean by Westerner? If a similar exchange were to take place, say, in an elevator in Helsinki, could we draw the same conclusions? Indeed, would such an exchange take place in Helsinki at all? In Nicosia? In Tallinn? Leo Hickey and Miranda Stewart’s delightful new volume, Politeness in Europe, takes a fresh look at this question, and examines the many ways in which we express politeness, such as gestures and eye contact, some of which have frequently been neglected in other studies.