Hi Guy,
I would have thought that fairly standard anthropological concepts can
explain the low level of cycle use by non-whites in the UK. Throw in a
different cultural context such as Asia or Africa, where cycling levels
are much higher for non-whites than in the UK and you have a clear case
for the cultural specificity of how easy it is for different groups to
engage with a specific technology/practice such as cycling. Choosing to
use a marginal transport mode in the UK means taking on a doubly
marginal (e.g. black AND a cyclist) status, so it's not surprising that
so few do this. If you have access to a university library, you could
try to get hold of a book called 'Appropriating technology' edited by
Eglash et al. It deals with marginal groups taking on and generally
subverting technologies for their own purposes. My paper on cycling
doesn't cover ethnicity, though several of the others do.
The London Cycling Campaign had a community projects grant scheme a few
years back that supported projects such as cycle maintenance courses for
ethnic minority groups, including one for orthodox Jewish girls - the
only specific project I can remember offhand. These girls are
constrained by cultural conceptions of what girls do but also by not
being permitted to do activities alongside boys. The LCC website may
still have info on these projects and could provide some useful
illustrations.
Best wishes,
Paul
Bardoe, Guy wrote:
> Hello
> I'm doing a paper to present to fellow students on an introductory
> anthropology course I'm following on 'Why do non-white people cycle less
> in London?'. Though I'm really interested in cycling itself I need to
> use it as a case study for wider discussion on cultural factors in
> technology (or travel) choice. It will be hard enough to fit everything
> I have to say into the word length and presentation time limit but it
> would be good to refer to some appropriate theoretical frameworks. If
> anyone can make any suggestions or send anything I'd appreciate it.
>
> Cheers
>
>
> *Guy Bardoe*
> Steer Davies Gleave
> 28-32 Upper Ground, London SE1 9PD
>
> t. +44 (0)20 7919 8500
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--
Dr Paul Rosen
Stockholm Environment Institute
University of York
Heslington
York YO10 5DD
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