Automobile Culture
PCA/ACA
National Conference
For Conference details click http://www.pcaaca.org/conference/national.php
Deadline for proposal submissions is December 15.
The automobile has had an immense influence upon our lives in innumerable ways. This area will seek to provide an understanding of this influence within the social and historical context of our collective cultural lives. Indeed, Henry Ford has been credited for the creation of leisure for the working class with the mass production of the car.
The automobile has also been accused of being a primary factor in the altering of the American family structure. What follows are some examples of the cultural relevance and importance of the automobile that need further investigation.
We have sung songs about the glory and wonder that surrounds the very concept of the car. Examples of this range from the 1909 tune, “In My Merry Oldsmobile,” to what is considered to be the first rock and roll song, “Rocket 88,” in 1949. Indeed, contemporary music has often used the car as a cultural theme.
The commodification of identity and issues surrounding consumption appear to be intimately connected with the automobile. Status is an essential element that surrounds the ownership of a car and this is a basic element of our cultural experience.
Currently there are a number of television shows that cater to the automobile enthusiast. In fact, there is a channel called “Speed” that focuses heavily on automobiles and racing. Others, such as “Rides” and “The American Hot Rod,” focus upon the construction of the car. --NASCAR, NHRA, NSRA and other formal sports organizations exist to promote motor sports or the consumption of the automobile culture. It has been said that NASCAR is the number one spectator sport in America and is uniquely American. Why? How is our culture reflected in this sport?
Motion pictures have portrayed hot rods associated with social outcasts. In other films, expensive sleek sports cars have been associated with wealth and success. How have these portrayals of automobiles impacted our impressions of ourselves and others? One commercial described Hell as being a place where a teenager would have to drive a minivan!
Other areas of investigation include those associated with gender, race, and ethnicity. Are our conceptions of these qualities associated with the automobile? If so, why and to what extent?
Lastly, what about other forms of automotive transportation such as trucks, SUV’s and recreational vehicles? What are the elements of culture that create these modes of transportation and what do they reveal about who we are?
These are just some of the areas that will be considered for inclusion within this area. All submissions are welcomed and encouraged.
For more information, please contact:
Skip McGoun
School of Management,
Bucknell University
mcgoun@bucknell.edu