There is no English equivalent for the term [flâneur], . . . the deliberately aimless pedestrian, unencumbered by any obligation or sense of urgency, who, being French and therefore frugal, wastes nothing, including his time which he spends with the leisurely discrimination of a gourmet, savoring the multiple flavors of his city.I am a wanderer at heart, which is why I think the ethnographic work I did for my dissertation research suited me so well. It is in a sense a form of deliberate and strategic wandering. While time-consuming and laborious, I do believe that this immersive approach reveals aspects of the world that cannot be reached any other way. I like ambling through and observing in physical space, but also across modes, histories, and disciplines.
- Cornelia Otis Skinner, Elegant Wits and Grand Horizontals (1962)
The Flâneur
What is a flâneur, you ask?:
