Alexa Murray
On Walking
In some ways I think walking is in innate act, but in many ways it is more of a learned social practice. The innate practice of walking can be seen in babies learning to walk- where walking accompanies crawling and other means of getting from one place to another naturally. However, the walking patterns that we use the vast majority of the time have developed as a part of a shared social practice. For example, since coming to New York my walking style has changed as a result in a change in the accepted social walking practices. In New York a fast paced and unidirectional walk is the most socially acceptable. Wandering slowly here and there on the sidewalk is not encouraged. Because of this, my walking has become more quick and direct. Another example of walking as a social practice can be seen in how pedestrians deal with potential path collisions. If you’re on track to run into another person while walking, who moves out of the way first is a form of social power exchange. While perhaps the very act of standing up and taking a step is innate, many social factors have impacted the way we walk today.
