The Handshake: The secrets of one of our most ancient social gestures

Friends do it, strangers do it and so do chimpanzees. It's not just deeply embedded in our history and culture, it may even be written in our DNA. The humble handshake, it turns out, has a rich and surprising history.

Join palaeoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi as she embarks on a funny and fascinating voyage of discovery. She'll take us on a journey from the handshake's origins, at least seven million years ago, all the way through to its sudden disappearance in March 2020.

Drawing on new research, anthropological insights and first-hand experience, Ella will reveal how this most friendly of gestures has played a role in everything from meetings with uncontacted tribes to political assassinations – and what it tells us about the enduring power of human contact. The story of the handshake is far from over.

Copies of Ella's latest book, The Handshake: A Gripping History, will be available to purchase at the end of the talk.

Event type

This is a theatre event, where the speaker and audience are together in our Theatre.

This event will not be livestreamed.

Accessibility

The Theatre is on the first floor and there is step-free access from the street via lift.

The closest underground station is Green Park, which is step-free.

There is space at floor level in the theatre for wheelchair users.

Seating is usually unreserved for our events. If you and your group require seating reservations, please do let us know by emailing us at events@ri.ac.uk, and we’ll be more than happy to help.

Carers can receive a free ticket to an event by emailing events@ri.ac.uk.

Our theatre is equipped with an Audio Induction Loop.

Covid guidelines

In line with government guidance, face masks are no longer mandatory. But while Covid-19 cases remain high, we recommend that face coverings are worn in our Theatre and at Ri events.

Are you a patron of the Ri?

As a patron you are offered a number of complimentary tickets, please get in touch with your patron manager to discuss this.