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Allison Hui

Enthusiastic Travel

Thesis Working Title

Enthusiasts' travel: mobilities and practices

Research Interests

a.hui(at)lancaster.ac.uk

Department of Sociology

Lancaster University

Lancaster LA1 4YT

01524 594181; extension 94181

PhD Project:

Submitted July 2011

Supported by a Commonwealth Scholarship Award (2007-2011), British Sociological Association Support Fund Grant (2010), Lancaster University FASS PGR Conference Travel Fund Grant (2010), William Ritchie Travel Fund Grant (2010), Lancaster University Department of Sociology Travel Grant (2010)

Supervised by John Urry and Elizabeth Shove

Enthusiasts' travel: mobilities and practices

While it is widely accepted that people travel not for the sake of travel, but in order to do various things, the relationship between travel and everyday practices is not well understood. My research project investigates the underexplored and dynamic relationship between everyday practice and travel, focusing in particular upon how the multiple mobilities of people, objects, images, and skills condition and constrain performances of practices. In this work, I incorporate and extend concepts from theories of practice (Schatzki, Bourdieu, Reckwitz, Shove), the new mobilities paradigm (Sheller and Urry), anthropology (Ingold) and time-geography (Hagerstrand). Drawing upon semi-structured qualitative interviews and participant observation of bird watching and patchwork quilting, as well as literature on leisure walking and Ashtanga yoga, I explore the interactions between situated performances of leisure and the circulation of the elements that make up each practice, showing for instance how the objects of leisure change participants' networked travelling. In addition to offering compelling proof of how people do not independently choose, but are rather compelled to travel, this thesis demonstrates how travel is the collective product of people and practices, and confirms the importance of relational and practice-specific understandings of travel. By theorizing travel as not only general movement through objective space, but also networked circulations of practice-specific elements, this research provides concepts and approaches that can be taken up in the future to re-frame the challenges of curbing unsustainable travel and widening participation in socially desirable practices.

MA Thesis:

University of Alberta, Canada

Supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Canada Graduate Scholarship (2006-2007), Walter H. Johns Graduate Fellowship (2006-2007), and University of Alberta Master's Scholarship (2005-2006)

Supervised by Rob Shields

Many homes for tourism: interacting mobilities of space, place, and spatialization in return home and second home mobilities

Using travel memoirs concerning second homes (cottages) and trips to previous homes in Asia, this study argues for a new theoretical basis for investigations of tourism, home, and mobility. Whereas previous studies leave tourism in isolated locations, reliant upon material infrastructures and marked by differences that are articulated in comparison to a distant home, this study argues for the importance of immaterial factors and the inherent mobility of tourism and home. Intangible structures of spatialization support and shape touristic engagements, and virtual places significantly affect and motivate touristic practices and mobilities. Furthermore, the idea of tourism as an engagement with change cannot be separated from the mobility and transit that introduce and make possible articulations of difference. Tourism and home must therefore be understood as mobile, possible in many spaces, and situated within networks of interconnected spaces and places that are continually recreated in relationship to each other.

Research interests:

Mobilities, Theories of Practice (Schatzki, Shove, Bourdieu, Giddens), Space and Time, Tourism and Travel, links between Research and Policy, the Virtual, Methodologies, Arts and the Culture Industry, Leisure, Consumption

Publications:

Hui, A. (2011) Placing nostalgia: the process of returning and remaking home. In T. K. Davidson, O. Park & R. Shields (eds.), Ecologies of affect: placing nostalgia, desire, and hope (pp.65-84). Waterloo: Wilfred Laurier University Press.

Hui, A. (2008) Many homes for tourism: re-considering spatializations of home and away in tourism mobilities, Tourist Studies, 8(3), 291-311.

Hui, A. (2008) Consuming spaces differently: tourism, people, memories, and ghosts. In B. Braasch (ed.), CTCC Research Papers: Major Concepts in Tourism Research -Memory (pp. 9-20).Leeds: Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change.

Hui, A. (2008) Review of 'Iain Chambers, Mediterranean crossings: the politics of an interrupted modernity', Space and Culture On-Line (Oct 2008).

Hui, A. (2008) Review of 'Michael McKinnie, City stages: theatre and urban space in a global city', Space and Culture On-Line (Feb 2008).

Hui, A. (2007) Review of 'Cheryl Teelucksingh (ed.), Claiming space: Racialization in Canadian cities', Canadian Review of Sociology On-Line Book Reviews (Jan 2007).

Conferences and Presentations (selected):

Hui, A. (July 15, 2011) 'Enthusiasts' travel: future mobilities, future practices', paper given by video conference at the 2nd New Zealand Mobilities Symposium: Mobilities and Neighbourhoods, Massey University, New Zealand.

Hui, A. and McNally, R. (July 12-14, 2011) 'ProteomeXchange: an analysis from a social science perspective using PROTEE', poster given at the 8th British Society for Proteome Research—European Bioinformatics Institute Meeting, Cambridge, UK.

Hui, A. (June 28, 2011) 'Circulation and mobility: elements of quilting', paper given at the Cartographies of Innovation workshop, Lancaster University, UK.

Hui, A. (October 28, 2010) 'Attributing and locating cultures of mobility: using theories of practice to frame new visions of travel, culture and change', paper given at the Cosmobilities Conference 2010 'Cultures of mobilities: everyday life, communication, and politics, Aalborg, Denmark.

Hui, A. (September 3, 2010) 'But how did the elements get here? The affect of technologies of circulation on practices', paper given at the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology Conference, University of Trento, Italy.

Hui, A. (July 6, 2010) 'Sustainable circulation: moving elements and practices towards a low carbon future', paper given at the Climate Change and Transitions in Practice Symposium, Lancaster University,UK.

Hui, A. (June 28, 2010) 'Travelling enthusiasts, or enthusiastic travel? Shifting perspectives on mobilities through a dialogue with theories of practice', paper given at the Lancaster Sociology Summer Conference, Lancaster University,UK.

Hui, A. (May 26, 2010) 'Following elements of leisure: the interrelated mobilities of things, people, and practices', paper given at the Centre for Mobilities Research Day, Lancaster University,UK.

Hui, A. (April 15, 2010) 'Innovative careers of leisure: novelty through the lens of practice theory', paper given at the Association of American Geographers Annual Conference, Washington DC, USA.

Hui, A. (April 8, 2010) 'Following elements of leisure: the interrelated mobilities of things, people, and practices', paper given at the British Sociological Association's Annual Conference, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK.

Hui, A. (July 1, 2009) 'Crafting mobility careers: following the performance practices of enthusiasts', paper given at Lancaster Sociology Summer Conference, Lancaster University, UK.

Hui, A. (April 17, 2009) 'Mobilizing practices: tracing the spatial footprints of enthusiasms', paper given at the British Sociological Association's Annual Conference 'The Challenge of Global Social Inquiry', Cardiff City Hall, UK.

Hui, A. (July 8, 2008) 'Imagining and composing histories: reuniting the isolated consumption and tourist practices of enthusiasts', paper given at Lancaster Sociology Summer Conference, Lancaster University, UK.

Hui, A. (May 23, 2008) 'Consuming spaces differently: mobilities, enthusiasts, memories, and ghosts', paper given at CeMoRe Research Day, Lancaster University, UK.

Hui, A. (April 17, 2008) 'Consuming spaces differently: tourism, people, memories, and ghosts', paper given at Major Concepts in Tourism Research: Memory workshop, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK.

Hui, A. (March 13, 2008) 'Producing to consume: experiences, tourists, and temporality', paper given at Major Concepts in Tourism Research: Experience workshop, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK.

Hui, A. (May 29, 2007) 'Revisiting tourism: Considering tourism and mobility in return home and second home memoirs', paper given at The Canadian Sociological Association's 42nd Annual Meeting, University of Saskatchewan, Canada.

Hui, A. (April 17, 2007) 'Many homes for tourism: Engaging with embodied spaces and virtual places within second home mobilities', paper given at Association of American Geographers Annual Conference, San Francisco, USA.

Hui, A. (March 10, 2006) 'Conceptual interference: Negotiating the spatial discourse of tourism', paper given at Association of American Geographers Annual Conference, Chicago, USA.

Media and Public Scholarship:

Presenter and Contributor: Social Change Climate Change Extraordinary Lecture and Exhibition of Ideas, British Library Conference Centre, London, 17 January 2011.

Contributor to the BSA PG Forum's PGFocus podcasts:

Starting a writing group, 11 January 2011.

Exercising and using your voice. Video podcast of a BSA PG Forum Workshop, Glasgow Caledonian University, 6 April 2010.

PGFocus Climate & Society Special 1 (pt. 1) - Low carbon futures and mobilities: John Urry in conversation with Allison Hui, 16 February2010.

PGFocus Climate & Society Special 1 (pt. 3) - Is society missing? Elizabeth Shove in conversation with Allison Hui, 9 March 2010.

Appearance on BBC Radio 4's 'Thinking Allowed' with Laurie Taylor, 17 June 2009, discussing my research on enthusiasts.

Experience with radio and television interviews.

Current Teaching

Language tutor for PhD Students

Past Teaching:

Workshop Leader for CELT: "Beyond pain, strain and monotony: finding and supporting your voice in classroom and presentation settings" (10 March2011; 10 February, 8 May and 19 Nov2009), "Reading, writing and vocal expression" (January 2010), "Exercising and expressing your voice" (February 2010)

Seminar Tutor for Sociology 218 (Socio-cultural approaches to advertising) and Sociology 340 (Newspapers, journalism and society), Lancaster University, UK, January - June 2010

Guest Lecturer for Sociology 101: "Applying and extending concepts", 16 May 2011; "Changing systems, practices, and concepts of travel", 23 February 2009

Other Interests and Hobbies

Research Assistant, ESRC Cesagen, Lancaster University, 2011-present

Student Ambassador, Department of Sociology, Lancaster University, 2008-present

Contributor, The Sociologist Newsletter, Department of Sociology, Lancaster University, 2008-present

Co-convenor, British Sociological Association Postgraduate Forum, 2009-2011

ESRC-funded Social change climate change working party member, 2010-2011

Stream Leader, EASST Conference, University of Trento, 2009-2010

Organizer, Department of Sociology Seminar Series, Lancaster University, 2009-2010

Department of Sociology Postgraduate Representative, Lancaster University, 2007-2009

Stream Leader, Glocal Imaginaries Conference, Lancaster University, 2008-9

Organizing Committee Member and CFP Coordinator, 2nd Annual Sociology Intellectual Party, Lancaster University, 2007-8

Sociology Graduate Students' Association Co-president, University of Alberta, 2006-7

CFP and Program Coordinator, SGSA "On Mobilities" Conference, University of Alberta, 2006-7

Graduate Students' Association Councillor representing Sociology, University of Alberta, 2005-6

Musician: Achieved Performer's ARCT from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto - Convocation May 2003; professional musical director and accompanist; competitor at the 2002 Canadian National Music Festival as part of the Duke Trio; featured performer with the Regina Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players

Links and Networks:

BSA Postgraduate Forum podcast and blog - http://pgforum.libsyn.com

British Sociological Association - http://www.britsoc.co.uk/

Social change climate change working parties - http://www.lancs.ac.uk/staff/shove/transitionsinpractice/party.htm, http://www.lancs.ac.uk/staff/shove/lecture/lecture.htm

Cesagen - http://www.genomicsnetwork.ac.uk/cesagen/

Sustainable Practices Research Group - http://www.sprg.ac.uk/

Voice workshop resources - http://www.lancs.ac.uk/celt/celtweb/voice

Voice BSA presentation videos - http://pgforum.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=627393

CeMoRe - http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/sociology/cemore/

Cosmobilities - http://www.cosmobilities.net/

Yolksoc blog - http://yolksoc.blogspot.com/

Space and Culture - http://www.spaceandculture.org/