The Aesthetics and Politics of Cinematic Pedestrianism Walking in Films

The Aesthetics and Politics of Cinematic Pedestrianism: Walking in Films offers a rich exploration of the cinematic aesthetics devised by filmmakers to reflect the corporeal and affective experience of walking in the city. Drawing on urban studies, film theory, aesthetic philosophy, and feminist methodologies, it is the first monograph to approach the history of cinema from the perspective of walking. A series of case studies providing nuanced analyses of widely referenced figures, including the flâneur/flâneuse, the vagabond, and the nomad, reveal how filmmakers have articulated their objection to repressive structures through depictions of walking –– a common everyday act, which is nevertheless transgressive, bold, and indomitable. Through the lens of Henri Lefebvre’s theory of space, Michel de Certeau’s concept of pedestrian acts, Jacques Rancière’s treatment of the politics of aesthetics, and Rosi Braidotti’s feminist nomadology, The Aesthetics and Politics of Cinematic Pedestrianism offers fresh insight into film historiography by tracing the pivotal role of the feet, shoes, and insurgent wanderers in the technical and aesthetic evolution of cinema.