Practising highland heterotopias: Automobility in the interior of Iceland

Edward H. Huijbens*, Karl Benediktsson

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

48 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The paper describes the history and current enactments of automobility in the highland interior of Iceland and interprets this phenomenon through the notion of spatial history. We elucidate how the currently widespread practices of automotive travel in the highlands are mediated through the technological assemblage of the 'jeep' and its user. We argue that the travelling is done in a double sense; through an 'inner' space of the vehicle and an 'outer' space of the highland terrain. A heterotopic spatial history emerges, which offers detailed insights into this specific form of automobility. In the final part of the paper, implications of these travel practices for the politics of nature are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)143-165
Number of pages23
JournalMobilities
Volume2
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2007
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Automobility
  • Heterotopia
  • Iceland
  • Jeep tourism
  • Spatial history

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Practising highland heterotopias: Automobility in the interior of Iceland'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this