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‘In Our Country it's Just Poor People who Ride a Bike’: Place, Displacement and Cycling in Australia
Author(s) -
Law Siew Fang,
Karnilowicz Wally
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of community and applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.042
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1099-1298
pISSN - 1052-9284
DOI - 10.1002/casp.2215
Subject(s) - cycling , mainstream , refugee , citizenship , sociology , socioeconomics , politics , economic growth , gender studies , geography , political science , archaeology , law , economics
This study investigates relationships and characteristics of participation in cycling in Melbourne, Australia, as an expression of place and displacement among persons from culturally and linguistically diverse origins including Asia (i.e. Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Japan) and Arab Africa (i.e. Saudi Arabia, Eritrea and Sudan). Using a mixed‐method approach, results indicated that despite a significant number of migrants to Australia with origins in places where cycling is a common mode of transport and activity, a large number of newly arrived and marginalised migrants and refugees are less likely to engage in cycling. Cyclists' identity, citizenship, social‐economic marginalisation and residential geographic isolation significantly impacted on their cycling in Melbourne. Although cycling is considered accessible, environmentally friendly, healthy and functional, the results indicated that this view may only represent and be shared by selected citizens. In short, culturally and linguistically diverse participants identified cycling behaviour differently in Australia in comparison with cycling in their countries of origin. The results contribute to knowledge in highlighting the extent of displacement facing marginalised communities that evolves in everyday practices of local mobility. The study identified a number of paradoxes facing mainstream policy makers, researchers and cycling advocates who tend to take cycling participation for granted as non‐political and universal. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.