When Alexander the Great sought to introduce the act of kneeling in reverence at his court in the fourth century BC, a far-reaching dispute flared up over what constitutes religion – faith or practice. In the Middle Ages, Christian monks in monasteries cleverly circumvented the hours of gruelling prayer by using the time spent kneeling to take a nap. And when the American footballer Colin Kaepernick knelt during the singing of the US national anthem in 2016, this not only brought the demands of Black Lives Matter to the fore, but also made it clear: those who kneel are not submitting; they are challenging authority. This unusual cultural history explores submission and domination through what is only seemingly the most unambiguous of all gestures.
Andreas Gehrlach demonstrates, with both expertise and empathy, that kneeling is no mere curiosity but lies at the very heart of the symbolism of power. To this end, he draws on scenes of kneeling from the last five thousand years, showing with each one anew that resistance is something entirely human. Perhaps even what makes us human.
Non-fiction
Andreas Gehrlach, born in 1981, studied literary studies in Tübingen and is the Academic Programme Director at the International Research Centre for Cultural Studies in Vienna. His work focuses on modern and ancient cultural theories, precarious, criminal and political economies, and he conducts research into the history of hierarchy and its challenge.
