Ritual and Boundary Distinction in a Recreational Community: A Case Study of Motorcycle Rallies and Riders

D. Mark Austin

doi:10.18778/1733-8077.5.2.04

Authors

D. Mark Austin University of Louisville, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1733-8077.5.2.04

Keywords:

Recreation, Ethnography, Motorcycling, Ritual

Abstract

Attending motorcycle rallies is an important component of social life for many touring motorcyclists. The significance of these events transcends the mere recreational experience of riding a motorcycle and spending time with other riders. This project is an examination of brand specific motorcycle rallies as a process and social world that has ritualistic features and activities that serve to bond members of the group, reinforce their identity, and distinguish members of this subculture from other motorcyclists and from the larger social world. Drawing on classical social theory and more contemporary research, a framework is established to discuss the activities and social organization of rallies. Objects from the material culture of those involved are examined as distinguishing components used to establish boundaries and confer membership. An in depth description of rally activities and interactions, enhances the understanding of these events.

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Author Biography

D. Mark Austin, University of Louisville, USA

D. Mark Austin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Louisville and also serves on the program faculty of the Urban and Public Affairs Ph.D. program. A good deal of his past and current research has focused on issues related to community and urban sociology examining matters such as perceptions of safety, attitudes about growth and the environment, reactions to crime, and factors related to neighborhood satisfaction. While much of his past research has focused on geographically stable communities, in more recent work he has examined issues related to geographically mobile communities with some of the research dealing with community, historical, and subcultural issues involving motorcyclists in American culture. Another ongoing project involves an examination of individuals that live or spend extended periods of time living on the road. Some of his recent works include "Graffiti and Perceptions of Safety: A Pilot Study Using Photographs and Survey Data" with Claudia Sanders; "Community in a Mobile Subculture: The World of the Touring Motorcyclist" with Patricia Gagne'; "Commodification and Popular Imagery of the Biker in American Culture" with Patricia Gagne' and Angela Orend; and "The Effects of Neighborhood Satisfaction on Perception of Safety Among Refugees From the Former Soviet Union," (with L. Allen Furr, Sarah Cribbs, and Steve Smoger).

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