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Experiencing the Run: ‘Go -

Along’ and ‘Video -Ethnography’Simon Cook | Plymouth University

RGS-IBG Postgraduate Mid-Term Conference 2013

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Recent resurgence on writings on mobility and movement

(Merriman, 2012)

Previously largely ignored or trivialised terms (Sheller and Urry,2006)

Movement is meaningful and power-laden (Cresswell, 2001)

Affects relationships with places, spaces, people, time andothers (Fincham et al , 2010)

Mobile Turn

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The recent interest is movement and mobile practices has

challenged existing research methods and ask new questions ofresearch techniques

Traditional social science methods have dealt poorly with thefleeting, complex, sensory, emotional and kinaesthetic (Law andUrry, 2004)

Recent upsurge and innovation in new methods tailored toresearch mobile phenomena, subjects and practices (Büscher etal, 2010)

Mobile Methods

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Running has eluded sustained study in the social sciences (Bale,

2004)

Road-running involves the sharing and recycling of non-specialised spaces

No methodological precedent

Running and Mobilities

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Essentially a hybrid of an interview on the move and participant

observation

Deep engagement with participants’ worldviews

In order to know what it feels to be a runner, one is obliged togo the extra mile (Vettenniemia, 2012)

Method

The Go Along

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Video Ethnography

Recent upsurge in geographical research

using videographic methods (Simpson,2011)

Pseudo-mobile

Enables the moment to be captured,retained, analysed and scrutinised

Method

The camera’s eye

Does not lieBut it cannot show

The life withinThe life of a runner

Of your or mine

Extract from TheRunner - W.H. Auden

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Injury

Tiredness

Multi-tasking

Dictaphone

Go Along– Practical Difficulties

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Fixed camera angle

Noises

Battery life

Positioning the camera

Video-Ethnography PracticalDifficulties

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Not a normal run

Great rapport

Entering the participants running world

Responding to events and creating context

Communicate meanings, understandings and feelings

Unable to capture the moment

Go Along– Experiencing the Run

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Capture and relive the moment of a normal run

Reveal the often unseen or unnoticed

Understand how bodies interact and negotiate spaces,environments and others

Predominance of sight

Emotions, experiences and sensory aspects lost

Video Ethnography – Experiencingthe Run

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Together the techniques could form a formidable and holistic

methodology

Go- Along: understanding meanings, perspectives and feelings

Video-Ethnography: understanding the actions, details and howthe run is accomplished

Negotiating Pedestrians

Multi-Mobile-Methods