The ‘Paradox’ of Parkour

Abstract

This chapter outlines the book’s rationale and approach in addition to its general argument. It introduces the reader to what the author has described as a ‘paradox’ of parkour, whereby parkour and freerunning is hyper-conformist to the values of consumer capitalism whilst its free practice is excluded and marginalised from urban space. Before offering methodological commentary on the book’s ethnographic approach and outlining the structure of the book, it looks how this paradox is a product of late-capitalism’s own making – making reference to processes of deindustrialisation, neoliberalism and the rise of consumer capitalism.

Citation

Raymen, T. (2018), "The ‘Paradox’ of Parkour", Parkour, Deviance and Leisure in the Late-Capitalist City: An Ethnography (Emerald Studies in Deviant Leisure), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78743-811-820181001