Cédric Calvignac

From “market agencements” to “vehicular agencies”: insights from the quantitative observation of consumer logistics

The authors propose a study of “vehicular agencies,” which are defined as hybrid moving entities comprising individuals and their possessions (e.g. a consumer, the bags she carries, and the clothes and other items she wears). Today, it is such assemblages that direct the course of action, rather than the people or the things they are made of. After presenting the theoretical contribution of the paper (i.e. defining vehicular agencies as short-range “actor-networks” and “market agencements”) and the quantitative observation method liable to capture these moving entities (i.e. filming and coding the material and social constituencies of the observed population) based on video records, the authors trace the logics of action that animate these vehicular agencies. They conclude in stressing the potential of this approach and topic, both for research purposes and public policy.

Bicycles, cyclists and loads: a comparative analysis of cycling practices in Gothenburg and Toulouse

Abstract This article reports on a video-based analysis of bicycling practices in Gothenburg and Toulouse. It is based on actor-network theory, an approach that studies human and non-human entities and their contributions to social action equally. The paper examines bicycles and their interactions with cyclists and loads in the transport of people and goods. Accordingly, this paper presents methodological, theoretical and empirical contributions to the study of bicycle transportation as a possible method for developing sustainable urban environments. This paper also presents an innovative way to study ordinary social practices and describes how these practices shape associated societal issues.