The Up’n down of Tracadie-Sheila, New Brunswick. An automotive ritual that breathes life into a town
This study is an ethnographic examination of the « up’n down », a unique "automotive ritual" practiced in Tracadie Sheila, a small town in northeastern New Brunswick. Essentially, the practice consists of drivers driving their car up and down the street for purely social reasons, as if strolling down a promenade. Beyond examining the ethnography of this social phenomenon, the aim is to question the origin, nature, content and challenge of such social rituals of individualistic modernity. The study then seeks to demonstrate how a true modern ritual can be structured in its various dimensions, be it the community, identity or political dimension. In a day and age when the traditional forms of social exchange have disintegrated, we wish to explore the evolution of social rituals that have been adapted to modernity. By studying the up ’n down activity, we hope to arrive at a better understanding of the car as a genuine social object.