Walking for leisure: the translocal lives of first generation Gujarati Indian men and women

Abstract

Walking as a leisure pastime is particularly popular amongst first generation members of the South Asian community. In this paper, walking is used as a vehicle to explore the connections that these Gujarati Indian men and women have to the spaces/ places of their local communities and 'home'. Whilst the lives of younger generations of South Asian men and women have tended to be at the forefront of academic debates, this has had the unfortunate effect of reducing the subjectivities of older groups to more narrow and fixed ideas about South Asian traditions and cultures. Thus limiting an understanding of their identities as also being hybrid, multiple and in-process. Additionally, much of the research about the leisure lives of migrant groups has been based upon research about the subjectivities and belonging of men, the histories of women have been relatively ignored. In order to address these absences, this research utilised participatory methods to explore first generation Gujarati Indian men and women's experiences of walking. The research findings revealed that the spaces/places that they walked through and across as part of their daily routines whilst relatively ordinary, were deeply meaningful, they enabled the participants to forward the translocal character of their identities over time and across space.

Hierarchical Assemblages of Citizenship and Belonging: The Pedestrian Speech Acts of British Gujarati Indian Walkers

“…The politics of how walking methodologies privilege the able-bodied construction of the built environment, and the challenges therein, requires much further sociological attention than what I can do justice to here (for further debate, see Morris, 2004; Vujakovic and Matthew, 1994). Thus, I acknowledge that this study focuses upon the research participants’ able-bodied lives, and their taken-for-granted informal walking practices; that is, not necessarily as a form of serious leisure and/or connected to an official walking club, but as part of their everyday routines to walk around the local neighbourhood (on their own and/or with different family/friends); as husband and wife couples to complete errands and/or to go to the shops; and to meet up as a group of five couples to walk, sit together and exchange stories relevant to their trans-local senses of being and belonging (for further debate, see Ratna, 2017). After considering the merits and limitations of different research methods (Evans and Jones, 2011; O’Neill and Hubbard, 2010), I chose to adopt a combination of mental maps, photo-elicitation, participant observations and semi-structured interviews to capture the participants’ everyday walking practice in and around the spaces of their local neighbourhood and residential ‘homes’.…”

“…First, I chose to share my feminist anti-racist sensibilities with the research assistant (RA) so he understood the rationale underpinning my approach; and second, I requested each individual man and woman participant complete their own mental maps and photos (see below for further detail). As it transpired, all the men took photos on behalf of their wives (Ratna, 2017). Reacting to this emerging issue during the interviews, I invited the women participants to deconstruct their husbands' 'framings' of different photos (and if relevant, the mental maps too).…”

“…Despite the religious and ethnic divisions noted in relation to their use and access of various public spaces, this did not necessarily deter them from living in the local area. Kesar, regardless of her middle-class sensibilities (Ratna, 2017), stated in her interview that she did not intend to move anywhere else. Ramji, though, in conversation with me about this diary entry, suggested that many other Gujarati Indians now live in highly sought-after places, in and across different parts of the city.…”

Perceived Environmental, Individual and Social Factors of Long-Distance Collective Walking in Cities

“…Exploring comprehensive experiences provides a foundation for understanding complex tourism and walking activity [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Donald and Vesna (2009), through hiking and walking in Mountain Nature Park, identified three main experiences: (1) affinity with nature and the outdoors, (2) mental and physical benefits, and (3) interaction with others and development of self-knowledge [ 18 ].…”

“…Related research has highlighted the happiness experience, such as enjoyment and engagement [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Seven experience items have been identified, including enjoy meeting fellow walkers, experience of solitude, experience of freedom, having time to think and relax, enjoy the scenery, and feeling closeness with nature [ 14 ].…”