ABSTRACT

An important task of mobility scholars is to attend to how time and space are generated through mobilities. Building upon research inspired by Deleuze and Guattari that foregrounds experiential mobilities, we use the notion of the refrain to chart experiences of long-distance rail commuting with a particular focus on how these journeys are crafted to be productive. Moreover, we consider a series of interruptions and their transformative potential. We read wanted and unwanted interruptions as breaks in the consistency of a refrain – disruptions to the socio-material, affective, and expressive arrangements that constitute a sense of productivity. We submit that in the wake of interruption, a refrain may dissolve or reform in three different ways: as repeat, as variation, or as developing variation. These categorisations help us to understand the differential influence of interruption on a refrain. We illustrate our argument by drawing on ethnographic research conducted with 16 mobile commuters who regularly journey by train for work between Wollongong and Sydney (Australia) – a trip of at least 90 minutes each way along a key commuting corridor. Through building an account of long-distance commuting, this article provides insights into how productivity (and productive subjects) may manifest through mundane activities.

摘要

流动性学者的一项重要任务是关注时间和空间是如何通过流动性产生的。在受到德勒兹和加塔里启发的研究的基础上，我们将体验式流动作为前景，我们使用副歌的概念来绘制长途铁路通勤的体验，并特别关注如何设计这些旅程以提高效率。此外，我们考虑了一系列中断及其变革潜力。我们将想要的和不想要的中断解读为对副歌一致性的破坏——对构成生产力感的社会物质、情感和表达安排的破坏。我们认为，在中断之后，副歌可能会以三种不同的方式消散或重组：作为重复、作为变奏或作为发展变奏。这些分类有助于我们理解打断对副歌的不同影响。我们通过对 16 名经常乘坐火车在卧龙岗和悉尼（澳大利亚）之间工作的移动通勤者进行的人种学研究来说明我们的论点——沿主要通勤走廊单程至少需要 90 分钟。通过建立长途通勤的帐户，本文提供了生产力（和生产主体）如何通过平凡活动表现出来的见解。