Mobilities Flashcards
How does Cresswell (2010) define Mobilities
as the ‘complex entanglements of movement, representation and practice’
what are constellations of mobility?
Patterns of movement, representations of movement and ways of practicing movement that make sense together
constellations of the past can break into the present
explain mobility as movement
physical movement is the raw material for production of mobility
movement can be mapped and used to derive laws and equations of efficiency
doesn’t address how mobilities gain meaning or how they are practiced
explain mobilities as representation
mobility figured as adventure, tedium, education, as freedom etc
geographers complicit in the weavings of narratives around mobility
representations of movement have been displayed in literature, film , philosophy and the arts
explain mobility as practice
the everyday sense of particular practices
more theoretical sense of embodiment
human mobility is practiced mobility that is enacted and experienced through the body
eg. sometimes movement is painful
when we have hope we move with a spring in our step
Mobility is a resource that is differentially accessed
explain this using an example
immobilities and mobilities are all related in ways that are infused with power
e.g.. one persons speed is another’s slowness
The school run - allows women to enact an efficient form of mobility which is often denied them
at the same time impacts the ability of children to walk to school safely
What did Michael Oliver (Disability theorist) suggest about walking?
there is an ideology around walking that gives walking a set of meanings associated with being fully human and masculine
‘walking tall’ is a sign of manhood and medical professionals take great time to help those who cannot walk to walk
To reject the option of walking from professionals challenges normality and exposes ideologies
challenging their power and their use as political
How are representation and practice connected?
give an example to illustrate
the representation of movement can effect the experience of its practice
EG. Mexican Immigrants in the united states compared to member of multinational corporation jetting between world cities
what is ‘gait analysis’
can now identify bodies in airports moving at irregular patterns , create suspicion and can flag these people for extra searching
this is a biased method based on a certain aesthetic of correct mobility that mixes with politics
mobility can be used more sinisterly
rhythm of mobility explanation
rhythm is implicated in the production and contestation of social order
for there to be social change a social group must imprint a new rhythm on an era
‘Mobility is channelled’ - explain
mobility moves along routes provided by conduits in space
this is not an even process
routing of infrastructure - valued areas of the metropolis are targeted so that they are drawn into intense interaction with whilst other areas are largely detached
Example of city development creating uneven mobilities
Development of Commuter network in Los Angeles
trains built to facilitate speedy transit from suburb to city
but bypass predominantly black and hispanic areas of the city
train riders disproportionatley white
bus riders black , hispanic and female
The train hardly stopping served white commuters who on average travelled further to work but not minorities who rely on stops for shorter commuting distances
Plane seating arrangement is perfect example of the stark experience of the politics within mobility
Explain
those at the back in economy = cramped, uncomfortable , oxygen starved
first class - provides more space, more oxygen, better food and more toilets per person
what is dromology?
Concept of the worlds velocity
the regulation of differing capacities to move
concerns the power to stop and to put into motion
to incarcerate of accelerate objects and people
what are ‘moorings’
are the stabilising anchoring factors that counterbalance mobility creating tension between fluid movement and stable location
how do mobilities challenge governance?
the space of the state is no longer a unified block but rather a multifaceted and overlapping set of economic , political and social geographies
mobilities both global and local restructure space and time by shifting the focus away from static territorial models of governance to more fluid networked levels of regulation
Hannam, Sheller and Urry (2006)
Airports and Mobility
airports are a place of mass mobility that requires extensive and immobile place
mainly facilitate the global hyper elite
bring connected places closer together but further distance the less connected places
Before people are mobile they are immobilised in waiting rooms, lounges ,caffes - whilst some are on the move others are immobilised
Airports are also place of cyber mobilities - software keeps the airport running smoothly eg- iris scanning systems create different speeds/rhythms of mobility dependent on racial and economic profiling
Airports are becoming like cities but cities are also becoming like airports with increased surveillance
Hannam, Sherry and Urry (2006)
Urban disasters
Highlight the fragility of mobility
Terrorism - 9/11 attack disruption of mobility and feelings around mobility, changes the way that mobility is practiced
Covid 19- mass spread of disease highly restricted mobility but this was unequal between different people
eg- vulnerable + kinetic elite (Prime minister exposed for parties)
Cloke et al (2003)
Homeless mobilities
examined the complex mobilities of homeless people in rural England
point out that despite the association of mobility with homeless with labels such as ‘tramps’ and ‘transients’
the mobility of homeless is often actively encouraged by governments eager to move homeless of their turf
In the US ‘greyhound therapy’ - buying homeless people a bus ticket out of town
Cloke et al - date?
2003
how does anti homeless infrastructure encourage mobility of homeless and how is this political?
prevents homeless from sleeping on benches and walls etc
keeps them moving clear political tool of governments to present a city that is not overrun by homeless a work of concealment
homeless use a network of mobility
relationship between place and mobilities
discard usual notions of space and scale
new mobilities paradaigm argues against the distinct seperation of place and people
there is instead a distinct relationality of places and persons
connected through performance
activities are not separate from the places that they happen within
mobilities are involved in the formation of place both local and global and external and internal
Sheller and Urry (2006)
The new mobilities paradaigm
part of a broader theoretical project to go beyond the imagery of ‘terrains’ as spatially fixed geographical containers for social process
the world is becoming increasingly interconnected creating new mobilities that challenge static geographies
How does the new mobilities paradigm undermine sedentarism?
treats stability , meaning and place as normal and distance place and change as abnormal
sedentism locates bounded and authentic places and nations - fails to recognise the significance of the car and its compression on social distance
effects of the car on compression of social distance
automobility impacts not only on local public spaces and opportunities for coming together but also formation of gendered subjectivities , social networks, national images and aspirations of modernity
key form of contemporary mobility - interconnected with other mobile forces that organise flows of information and oil etc
petrol stations - immobile place
application of the more mobile perspective
what are ‘gates’
boarders that limit channel and regulate movement or anticipated movement
how should mobilities be examined?
they should be examined in their fluid interdependence and not in separate spheres
moving between places both virtually and physically can be a source of status or power
Porter at al (2010)
what was this study about ?
mobility and immobility of young people in Urban Africa
chart young peoples mobility experiences
with a focus on intergenerational powers effects on mobility
challenges to mobility is Abura , Ghana
negotiating routes to school around aggressive and dangerous drivers
lack of clear footpaths
challenges to mobility in Ngangalizwe , South Africa
security problems and prone to violence
high criminal activity
many girls concerned about being raped and propositioned by boys
taking routs to school that are longer to avoid problems adds length to journey
In all cases young people play a role in household production explain how and why
lack of water pipes in peoples houses and consistent water sources mean that water needs to be collected - this is young ppls job
also young ppl mainly girls are expected to compensate for congestion that ties up other family members - stay at home and look after the other kids and the house
In Ghana how many girls and boys report carrying water all or most days of the week?
71% of girls
82% of boys
describe adult perceptions of mobility in Urban Africa
often ambiguous -
viewed positively = access to services :education and healthcare and opportunity for progression
viewed negatively = disruptive behaviour , bring shame or loss on the family
how do adults constrain youth mobility?
through fear
1) fear of parental disapproval and punishment
2) fears of the supernatural - eg witchcraft
Van Blerk - year?
2016
who did study on sex work in Ethiopia?
Van Blerk 2016
explores the relational immobilities and mobilities of young female sex workers in Ethiopia ages 14-19 years old
Van Blerk 2016
How are young sex workers lives mobile?
they are relational - livelyhood and identity shaped within and between places based on their ability to move or not
different types of sex work vary by level and status and this effects lived experience
compare mobility of red light workers and streetwalkers
red light workers - have most clients , commanding the least money and being least mobile
streetwalkers - fewer clients, more freedom to engage in mobility
describe and explain mobilities of becoming involved in sex work
process of becoming involved in sex work is highly mobile
girls mobilities are bound up with their identities as eldest siblings and ‘good’ daughters
if they didn’t want to get married, have female mutilation = movement away to dissociate with family
mobility based on escape and movements are connected to familial relationships
mobility of girls is socially produced based on particular relations of power between them and their bodies
place relationship with mobility quote
massey (2005) ‘place is constituted by flow’
explain sex workers relational networks within and between places
working in the red light district - the practice sex work appears immobile - kept in a room all day
but place is constituted by flow
girls identities as sex workers are relationally mobile = dependent on the interactions with other agents (clients) that come in and out of the area - fleeting moments of encounter allow for formation of identity
mobility is not necessarily an indicator of freedom for sex workers - explain why?
In cases where these girls have the ability to move location, complex relations with clients, police and other girls shape the choices of mobility
mobility for sex workers can also be strategic for economic reasons - example
one girl stated that she moves to smaller towns during harvest seasons where labourers and farmers may employ her services
mobility can be determined both spatially through geographic relocation and temporally based on seasonal changes
Verlinghieri & Venturini - date?
2017
study exploring the right to mobility through the mobilisations in Rio De Janeiro
Venturini et al (2017)
what are urban social movements?
calling for the ‘right to mobility’: championing that mobility is a collective right that should be embedded within society.
names of 2 USMs in Rio
The Fórum de Lutas
The Mobilities Forum
explain role of The Fórum de Lutas
managed to block the ticket price increase for public transport through public assemblies and protests
contested not only price of tickets but also related spatial segregation
role of The mobilities forum
comprised of transport engineers, representatives from residents’ associations and professional councils host weekly meetings to discuss urban planning improvements.
Emphasis is placed on the importance of detail and procedure to allow people to enact their ‘right to mobility’
advocate for better rail public transport services
and open participatory transport planning
inequality of mobility in Rio
low income groups rely on walking, biking and buses
finding it difficult to access cars which the city’s transport networks are primarily designed for
daily mobilities of older adults in the global south - authors and date
Villena- Sanchez & Boschmann (2022)
why is mobility important to older people?
For elderly people mobility is a means of maintaining autonomy over one’s own body as it slowly becomes less physically stable
how does ageing change the affect of mobility?
the embodiment of an ageing physical body serves as a ‘natural’ temporal restriction to mobility.
Aging brings with it a new set of emotions that are experienced due to the individual’s loss of control over their own movement.
To feel constricted, frustrated, and isolated is not uncommon for elderly groups but differs to the emotions that a fully abled child may have working through a similar landscape.
there are differences between mobility of elderly in the global south and north - why?
both face challenges they are just different
Transport and infrastructure (and cultural norms in some cases) create this spatial disparity.
In highly developed countries, on average individuals have higher disposable incomes allowing for retired people to own cars that facilitate their own movement
Within developing countries there is higher reliance on public transport that is often poorly funded or unable to meet accessibility needs.
the ability of elderly people to control their own mobility is broadly dependent on the spatial location across the hemispheres, directly impacted by individual and state capital
how many elderly people in London use cars to go on shopping trips?
37%
how many people use cars to go on shopping trips in Milania?
6%
how does capitalist society create artificial immobility for elderly people?
capitalist society creates relative immobility of elderly people as investment in infrastructure to support movement is costly with minimal economic reward
immobility is not always the product of constraints - explain
some people do not want to leave
there is not always an aspiration to move from low to high income countries
highest rates of wanting to stay in ones own country = China and India
Immobility can sometimes be a choice and a privilege
gendered mobilities - study to reference for Copenhagen metropolitan area study
Næss in Uteng and Cresswell, 2008
What is the Copenhagen metrapolitan area study?
In Denmark
large travel survey
also qualitative interviews
to understand gendered mobilities in transport
commuting gender differences
on average male participants work further from their residence than women do
among districts in the inner of copenhagen women choose employment in the same radius as men do
when residing further out mens job markets include a considerably larger geographical area than women - likely due to the time spent travelling women have more domestic work that they still need time to do
gendered differences in the travel modes to work in copenhagen
more men than women drive to work
90% to 50%
women travel by bike or on foot more than men
women in peripheries are much more likely to use public transport than men
men seen as owner of the car - their transport is prioritised over women’s
