| Summary: | <p>Over the course of nearly thirty years, cycling activism has proliferated throughout Latin America and, from two independent initiatives in opposite ends of the continent, it has grown into a vibrant social movement with manifestations in almost every major city in the region. Still, there is a significant knowledge gap with regards to cycling activism in Latin America, both in the Spanish-language and anglophone literatures. Hence, this research is an exploratory enquiry into the geographies of cycling activism in this region, working through a multi-sited field comprised of Santiago de Chile, Mexico City, and the World Bike Forum in Lima and Quito, to interrogate how the bicycle is mobilised by activists in Latin America today. In asking “How is the bike made mobile?” this research seeks to understand the spatialities, knowledge-practices, and moments of tension and dissent that make up this social movement. To do so, it draws on a wide body of literature, encompassing vélomobilities, the geographies of social movements, and research into the production and circulation of knowledge. Working with a qualitative militant research approach, this thesis unpacks the politics of cycling activism in three moments: first, I conceptualise cycling activism in space as simultaneously territorial and networked, working through multiple scales, and assembling as a regional phenomenon. Situating cycling activism in space lays the groundwork for interrogating the strategies and techniques by means of which activists construct the bicycle as a particularly appropriate vehicle for the city, and how the knowledge they produce is made to circulate. Finally, I examine the challenges and possibilities that Latin American feminism presents to cycling activism, identifying mobility not just as a site where gender inequalities find expression, but also where patriarchal domination and machismo can be resisted. In presenting my arguments, I advocate for a more worldly research practice that meaningfully engages with the scholarship, knowledge, and ambitions of researchers and activists in Latin America.</p>
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