Paper Short Abstract:

We compare the meaning “becoming” (Deleuze) and “passage” have (Van Gennep) and we apply our reformulation of these notions to the becoming-group of some Sicilian motorbikers with a passion for slow motorcycling.

Paper Abstract:

Our presentation is divided in two parts. In the first part, we’ll discuss the meaning “becoming” gets in the philosophy of Deleuze and we’ll compare it with the meaning “rite of passage” gets in the anthropology of Van Gennep. If for Deleuze “becoming” is based on the weakening of beginnings and endings, for Van Gennep “passage” is based on their emphasis. We’ll take into account these notions (“beginning” and “ending”, “passing” and “becoming”) to discuss a specific case: the becoming-group of some Sicilian motorbikers with a passion for slow motorcycling. In the second part of our presentation, we’ll focus on (i) the virtual and realized forms of space encountered by these motorbikers during their motorcycling and (ii) on the production of specific forms of sociality and solidarity created by them. From a theoretical point of view, in this second part we’ll concentrate more specifically on the opposition established between notions such as “representation” and “process” and we’ll take into account a few scholars including Thrift and De Certeau.