This article connects existing mobility biographies research with social practice inquiries into the dynamics of consumption and examines the potential of a biographic, practicecentred approach for researching everyday practices. Following a critical review of the benefits and limitations of existing research on mobility biographies, the article explores some key ways in which a practice theory approach can be employed to reframe and extend how dynamics of mobility over the life course can be conceptualised and analysed. A key feature of the discussion is a consideration of the ways in which the concepts of practice and career can broaden investigations of practice biographies to include various perspectives and scales. The article then outlines the development and application of a biographic, practice-centred methodology which was employed in an ongoing mobility biographies study based in Ireland. In demonstrating the potential of this approach for researching practice careers across the life course, empirical data relating to an individual's career-in-car-driving are presented and discussed. The article concludes that, despite some limitations, practice-centred biographic approaches offer potential for addressing some unanswered questions regarding mobility practices.
The way people access food in Nigeria is of central relevance for food security, health and sustainability. One key trend is the shift from household-based to primarily out-of-home food consumption as an increasing majority of the urban poor derive their daily nutrient intake from street foods. However, few studies have yet explored the role of the ready-to-eat food vending sector in urban food systems and the diets of the urban poor. This paper investigates the interrelations between these practices and the diversity of food groups provisioned among the urban poor in developing city contexts. A social practice approach is employed to explore differentiation among informal-ready-to-eat food vending practices in the city of Ibadan, Nigeria, in terms of their daily activities, competences and resources. Applied methods include GIS mapping, food log diaries, in-depth interviews and participant observation to map and classify informal-ready-to-eat food vending practices according to the nature of food provisioned and explore the everyday performances of different informal-ready-to-eat food vending practice initiatives and their relation to dietary diversity. The results reveal three key categories among these practices: traditional, processed and unprocessed—with varying levels of diversity in the food groups on offer. Traditional food vendors offer more diversified food compared to processed food vendors and unprocessed food vendors. The results reveal that material infrastructure, cooking bargaining and purchasing skills and nutritional knowledge are key to the diversity of food groups provisioned. The paper concludes by considering the wider relevance of these findings for urban food science and policy.
Within human geography, there is increasing interest in the application of theories of practice for understanding resource consumption and for pursuing sustainability goals. In stressing the routine, performative, and contextual dimensions of action, research on geographies of practice is faced with particular methodological challenges. A lively debate concerns the utility of talk‐based methods for investigating routine practices, such as those relating to everyday consumption. While it has been compellingly argued that people can talk individually or in groups about their practice, as of yet, these methodological debates have not been extended to the question of whether people can talk about past practices over the life course. This is despite the fact that attending to practice dynamics at the life‐course scale can reveal important insights into the intersections of structure, agency, time, and space in consumption practices. Seeking to address this gap, this methodology‐focused paper explores biographic inquiry as an empirical strategy for research on geographies of practice and consumption. After identifying significant challenges in representation associated with researching routine action in general, and past practices in particular, it outlines key learnings garnered during a biographic study on domestic consumption in Ireland. Central methodological features supporting talk‐elicitation include zooming‐in‐and‐out of temporal registers, multi‐modality, and phased implementation. The paper concludes that people can talk about past practices in often very detailed, intricate ways and that retrospective talk is a valuable tool for understanding practice dynamics at the life‐course scale.
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