Towards a sociology of movement: Application of Kinetography Laban to the study of collective phenomena in the Paris subway

Abstract

This article focuses on the collective behavior of Paris subway passengers in a public space as a social and anonymous phenomenon through the study of their movements and postures. For this purpose, I use the ‘Subcam’ data-acquisition device and a human movement scoring system, ‘Kinetography Laban’. The latter, created by Rudolf Laban and developed in choreography, is little known in the scientific world, but it could make a significant contribution in sociology. Kinetography Laban allows us to objectify and analyze human movement, which is often considered to be an elusive object. The case study is conducted on the Paris subway, at stops on the number 14 line during rush hour. The scoring of passengers’ movements and bodily postures highlights the existence of recurring patterns in the way people move. This work also demonstrates the existence of bodily techniques, which are often referred to by sociologists such as Mauss, Bourdieu and Boltanski without empirical evidence. This research shows not only that Kinetography Laban is applicable to social scientific research but also that it is possible to do a sociological study through movement and bodily postures using this method. The article therefore opens up a new field of research in sociology: sociology of movement.