Introduction

Through drawing on a range of qualitative research, this chapter explores the often complex and occasionally curious relationships we have with cars, and links this to the experience of living within and moving through ethnically demarcated urban spaces. Part of this involves the extent to which cars connote meaning not only about the individual behind the wheel, but also about the ‘group’ that appears to drive the kind of car in question. As such, the car can help us to see and understand the dynamics of in-group–out-group relations and culture more broadly. In the context of this book, the car has proved to be an irresistible theme within the developing story of this research inasmuch as it emerges as a pervasive presence in the multi-ethnic dynamics of Bradford and Manningham. Part of the story rests in the rich texture of meanings that car ownership has for some of Bradford's Pakistanis. It is a physical presence that has the capacity to trigger acute moments of inter-ethnic sensibility that may be characterised by envy, suspicion, resentment and anger, each with the associated attribution of legitimating beliefs about the character and intentions of the car driver/owner.

The car as object and symbol

The car, described by Sheller and Urry (2000: 738) as the ‘quintessential manufactured object’, carries a lot of symbolic meaning. This mass-produced object, through specific companies and particular models, can provide a concrete expression of national pride and identity, with subsequent expressions of national tropes and stereotypes: engineering skill (German – Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz); design flair (Italian – Alfa Romeo, Lancia); democratic accessibility (French – Renault, Peugeot); or valued consumer goods (British – Jaguar, Range Rover). Car ownership has been desired for its pragmatic utility and its material expression of affluence and status, and it has been integral to the emergence of distinct lifestyle performative practices, such as cruising urban streets or the Sunday afternoon family rural excursion.