Automobility, Vélomobility, American Mobility: An Exploration of the Bicycle Tour
2009; Routledge; Volume: 5; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/17450100903435029
ISSN1745-011X
Autores Tópico(s)Travel Writing and Literature
ResumoAbstract Using the framework of 'automobility' as outlined by Sheller and Urry, this article uses the bicycle tour to explore one way the middle class mediates the automobile's dominance of the American landscape. The material history of the American road is first placed into the current automobilities discourse and then used to situate the bicycle tour. The romantic notion of lost public place in the city is seen as a driving force for escaping on two wheels into the 'authentic' American landscape. As the long distance bicycle tourist experiences the material landscape in a new way, the idea of a lost public landscape is challenged and the tourist is able to come to terms with his or her place in the dominant mobility assemblage of human and machine. The result is not a full resistance of the automobile, but a new conception of place and mobility. Key Words: automobilityvélomobilitybicyclingAmerica Acknowledgements I must thank Ed Jackiewicz, Steve Graves, and Ron Davidson for tremendous support with this project, as well as the three anonymous reviewers whose comments greatly helped the ideas within this article, and of course, Sarah, Jack and Zoe… Notes 1. I shall generalize and aggregate. The term 'American' is deliberately used in place of United States citizen, to produce an image of cohesion in a land of diversity. I do not argue that mobility is even and accessible to all, but instead utilize the 'ideal' or 'American Dream' of mobility for the purposes of this article.
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