German Studies Seminar: Ervin Malakaj, University of British Columbia. Divinatory Intimacies: Cinephilia and Palmistry in Weimar Film Magazine Culture

Feb 25, 2022 | 3:00PM

Friday, February 25, 2022

3-4:30 pm CST

Virtual seminar, register for link

GERMAN STUDIES SEMINAR

Divinatory Intimacies: Cinephilia and Palmistry in Weimar Film Magazine CultureErvin Malakaj, University of British Columbia

Marianne Raschig counts as one of the most famous palmists of Germany’s Weimar Era. Prominent public figures frequented her atelier. Between 1928–1930, the erudite film periodical Film-Magazin published her column titled “An ihren Händen sollst du sie erkennen” [You’ll Recognized them by their Hands]. A two-page spread featured life-size hand prints of notable film industry figures alongside Raschig’s professional “reading” of their palms. Situating the column in the Weimar media history of occultism and pseudoscience, this paper shows how Raschig’s divinatory techniques patterned cinephile intimacies potent for the development of a theory of cinematic attachment.

Cost and Registration Information 

This event is free, but all participants must register in advance and space is limited. To register and request a copy of the pre-circulated paper, click here. Please do not request a paper unless you plan to attend.