Spatial habitus and narratives of (im)mobility on the rural periphery

Flóra Zsinka, Viktor Berger — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 15:43:29 +0000

In recent decades and in connection with the mobility turn, growing scholarly attention has been devoted to the role of spatial mobility in the reproduction of social inequalities. This study seeks to contribute to this discourse by applying a Bourdieusian perspective. By integrating Bourdieu’s theory of space with the framework of the new mobilites paradigm, the paper examines the social determinants of (im)mobility practices and their role in the dynamics of inequality through an analysis of interviews conducted with residents of a marginalized village. The findings highlight how the spatial habitus—conditioned by the structures of social and physical space—manifests in residential location preferences, routines of mobility, and everyday spatial practices within the settlement. The application of the Bourdieusian theoretical framework to the analysis of (im)mobility patterns has proven analytically productive in several ways. The incorporation of the spatial habitus concept enables an interpretation of spatial (im)mobility practices within an analytical framework that not only accounts for their social embeddedness but also reveals the internal tensions arising from the transformations of social space, the contradictions inherent in individual situations, and the complex interplay of the taste for necessity.

Hungarian Review of Sociology

Spatial habitus and narratives of (im)mobility on the rural periphery