ABSTRACT
Taking inspiration from Mauss’ classic idea of walking as one of many “techniques of the body,” this essay reflects on how perceptions of danger shape how one walks in various cities. I draw on my own research on the limits and possibilities of quantified walking as well as on urban experiences I have had in my life. I reflect on how perceptions of danger can be related at different historical moments: to inclement environmental conditions; to non-human traffic like motorbikes and cars; and occasionally to global dangers like Covid-19. Walking and danger can also depend on race, gender, and age, depending on the context. I close with a brief meditation on how protest walking can be mobilized to stand up to a danger that is imposed on one’s own community or in support of a danger imposed on a distant, yet vulnerable community.