FOLLOWING THE CAR: THE MATERIALITY AND MULTIPLICITY OF DRIVING TOURISM FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ACTOR-NETWORK THEORY

YANG Peng; WU Yue-fang; XU Hong-gang

doi:10.13959/j.issn.1003-2398.2026.03.018

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HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2026, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (3) : 184-192. DOI: 10.13959/j.issn.1003-2398.2026.03.018

TOURISM

FOLLOWING THE CAR: THE MATERIALITY AND MULTIPLICITY OF DRIVING TOURISM FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ACTOR-NETWORK THEORY

YANG Peng¹, WU Yue-fang², XU Hong-gang^3,4

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Abstract

With the growing popularity of driving tours as a prominent form of tourism, automobiles, as the core carriers, have become deeply integrated into the tourism system. However, their agency in constructing tourism networks remains underexplored. Drawing on actor-network theory and empirical data from four long-distance driving trips, this study examines the materiality of automobiles in driving tourism and their role in shaping relational networks. The findings reveal three key dimensions: First, automobiles reconstruct spatial meanings as "mobile habitation spaces." Amid the tension between enclosure and mobility, they sustain tourists' sense of security and belonging while being constrained by infrastructure and technical systems.Second, as "taskscape shapers," the "mobility-mooring" rhythm reshapes the temporal logic of tourism, facilitates the "generalization of attractions," and connects tourists with communities to form dynamic consumption networks. Third, automobiles regulate diverse relational networks through "territorialization mechanisms" and "disparities in mobility capacity." Within road spaces, competition for right-of-way between motor vehicles and other road users constructs implicit "power territories," while the speed advantage and technical thresholds of automobiles exacerbate relational inequalities among tourists, local residents, slow travelers, and the natural ecosystem.

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driving tourism / automobile / materiality / multiplicity / actor-network theory

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YANG Peng, WU Yue-fang, XU Hong-gang. FOLLOWING THE CAR: THE MATERIALITY AND MULTIPLICITY OF DRIVING TOURISM FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ACTOR-NETWORK THEORY[J]. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY. 2026, 41(3): 184-192 https://doi.org/10.13959/j.issn.1003-2398.2026.03.018

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