Moving with Difference: - PowerPoint Presentation

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Moving with Difference:Encounters on the Street

Simon Cook

23 May 2014, Sheffield @

SimonIanCookSlide2

Encounter and Mobilities

Encounters research is concerned by how we live with difference

Mobility has not been taken seriously in such discussions

Mobilities are “somehow ‘in-between’ places – as encouraging interaction elsewhere - but devoid of their own effects, social interactions and civic” meanings (Wilson, 2011: p.634)

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Challenging Encounters - Mobile Encounters

Movement is incredibly important and worthy of study

Two strands of mobile encounters:

Encounters during mobilityEncounters of mobility 3Slide4

Encounter During Mobility

Recent work has studied the sociality and propinquities of collective travelling

Helen Wilson (2011) on multicultural encounters of bus

passengering Passengering is a relational practice; cohabiting with, coproducing with and encountering others4Slide5

Encounter of Mobility

Encounters of mobility asks important questions about mobile citizenship

The

micromovements of encounter are political actionsEncounters of mobility are also embedded5Slide6

Encounter of Mobility

Brown (2012) on mountain bikers ‘and walkers’ physical enactments

Aldred

and Jungenickle (2012) on cyclists ‘adherence to the Highway CodeSpinney (2007) on cyclists ‘and drivers’ tools of encounter 6Slide7

Runners and Pedestrians

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The Street and Codes of Conduct

There

are no natural conventions

or codes of conduct for sharing the space of the street.Runners are often deemed responsible Hockey and Allen-Collinson, 2007; 20138Slide9

Perspectives on Mobile Social Order

Encounters with responsibility:

Runners

PedestriansShared duty 9Slide10

Responsible Runners Slide11

Runners as Minority …

“No, I see it as my responsibility. I think everybody else is trying to use the

environment

in a relaxing way and there is me trying to use it in a more, probably productive but personal way so I think it is my job to not interrupt their free time in the way that because, because I can do that but I wouldn't expect a hundred people to move out of their way to avoid me and my free time … I think that would be selfish because clearly there aren't as many runners as there are dog walkers for example … we are probably inconveniencing their space.”John – Go Along 11Slide12

… but NOT deviant

Author

: “So do you think you're misusing space as a runner- using it for

something it wasn't built for perhaps?” John: “No, because I think these places where built for it! I think these days, perhaps not originally, obviously this is a manor house park, but at some point somebody went - 'we'll turn that into a public park' and they must have known that people that want to go for a run are gonna use that; and if they didn't - they weren't thinking.”12Slide13

Speed

“I think I would take responsibility because I’m the one moving faster”

Herbert – Go Along

“It my responsibility to make sure we don’t hit each other because I’m going faster.” Ben – Video Ethnography 13Slide14

Responsible Pedestrians Slide15

Speed

“Because they’re walking and I’m running, they can get out of my way

.”

Dan – Video Ethnography15Slide16

Shared DutySlide17

The Diplomatic Viewpoint

“I always think it is our responsibility as

much

as anyone else’s.”Ed – Go Along“Well it [the responsibility] would be both of ours”Jackie – Video Ethnography17Slide18

Passing Pedestrians Slide19

Spatial Tactics

Choosing a side

Stepping Down

Slaloming 19Slide20

Choosing a Side

“

I kind of like duck to one side as an indication saying I’m leaving you space to get past this side – kind of take the hint or I will run into

you”Steve – Video Ethnography20Slide21

Choosing a Side

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Approaching pedestrian on the right-hand side

Notice pedestrian is heading for runner’s line of movement

On a collision course Slide22

Choosing a Side

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Choosing a side

Pedestrian noticing the switch

Space successfully negotiated Slide23

Stepping Down

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Approaching pedestrian and dog from

behind. Weighing up unpredictability of the dog with the empty road

Deciding to step down

Stepping back up after accomplishing passing by Slide24

Stepping Down

“I would much rather be the person who got in the road than move somebody else into the road because I would feel like that would be my responsibility. I mean they are not going to die but say if something happened in that second, that would be my fault.”

John – Go Along

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Slaloming

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Approaching from behind

Aiming to pass by on the left

On a collision course Slide26

Slaloming

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Change in direction

Overtaking on the right

Return to original position Slide27

Slaloming

“I saw it from a while off. I just squeezed through, it would take less time to squeeze through than go round to the left and I won’t have to go back on myself.”

Dan – Video Ethnography

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Passing Pedestrians

No consensus

Solutions are made momentarily and on the run

Not random or mindless choices (although often unreflexive) There is a value-action gap28Slide29

Mobile CitizenshipSlide30

Right to Space and Mobile Citizenship

Physical movement would suggest runners subordinate to

pedestrians30Slide31

Mobilities enhancing Encounter Slide32

Benefits/Challenges

New forms / spaces of encounter to study

Focus on the process not outcome of encounters

What is desired from encounters?The ‘stranger’ as productive 32Slide33

Questions?

Simon Cook

Royal Holloway University of London

Simon.Cook.2013@live.rhul.ac.uk@SimonIanCook33