The Unwritten Constitution of a Bus Ride
About this Event
Public transit might be one of the most cooperative social environments in city life, despite being a place where most people try their best to ignore one another. Every day, hundreds of strangers with different habits, expectations and competing needs manage to occupy the same confined spaces with remarkably little communication. Yet we have surprisingly strong opinions about how everyone else ought to behave, even though most of these expectations have never been formally explained to us.
What makes this arrangement possible is an informal social order built on mutual consideration, but the rules are far from straightforward. Respecting someone's privacy can conflict with our responsibility to help them, while treating everyone equally can mean failing to recognize that some people have different needs. What constitutes courtesy also depends on the circumstances and on who is making the judgment. These rules are neither universal nor necessarily agreed upon, which raises a more interesting question: how do strangers manage to maintain a functioning social order when they do not always agree on what constitutes acceptable behaviour?
Drawing on interviews with TransLink riders and observations aboard Metro Vancouver buses and trains, sociologist Dr. Amy Hanser investigates the unwritten expectations governing our everyday encounters on public transit. Her research considers how passengers negotiate personal space, attention, sensory discomfort and obligations to others, as well as why seemingly minor violations can provoke such strong reactions. The lecture will also invite audiences to consider where they agree, and disagree, about the rules they encounter every day.
Dr. Amy Hanser is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of British Columbia. Her research examines consumption, economic life and social interaction, including consumer culture in China, street vending and food, and immigrant families in Canada. She is currently writing a book about the social experiences of riding public transit.
Agenda
6:00 PM doors open. Guests are welcome to arrive early, order drinks, and have dinner before the lecture begins.
7:00 PM lecture begins, followed by Q&A.
8:15 PM wrap up. Guests are welcome to stay for conversation and another drink.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 39.67
