Motorcyclists: The Conceptual Basis
J.P. Rothe · 2021
Motorcyclists on the street or in a training course make choices, set goals and create activities. The reality of a motorcycle training course, therefore, is structured around assumed but seldom-questioned relationships amongst students, between students and instructors, and between students and machines, roadways and physical obstacles. Motorcycle rider characteristics from a mid-range perspective may be pictured as a grey area between the emic and etic. According to C. Geertz, an emic analysis is closely tied to concrete social events and occasions. Whereas emic corresponds to the micro world of human activities, the mid-range extends from the micro to the macro worlds, the etic relates entirely to the macro world of social events. The etic perspective on motorcycle riders consists of analytical techniques for translating precoded data into findings which have statistical rigor and precision. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.