The Materiality of Mobility through Fridge Magnets

The development of mass tourism and globalisation in the second half of the twentieth century not only transformed our physical mobility but also the way we construct identity and define social status through mobility. In this this context, the travel magnets that we purchase on our trips and typically put on the doors of our fridges are displaced mundane objects made to exhibit their exogenous origin, thus becoming a symbol of “being there”. In this paper, I argue that fridge magnets are much more than mere decorative elements, and that they constitute biographical objects loaded with narratives that are actively used in the construction of diverse identities. In addition, I explore how these mundane objects of our contemporary past are also used to strengthen social bonds and define group social status and identity through mobility.