Prof. Linda Mahood was interviewed for a July 19 Maclean’s article about the rise and fall of hitchhiking.
A professor in U of G’s Department of History, Mahood discussed the history of hitchhiking, which was the norm in Saskatchewan where she grew up in the 1970s. Thumbing a ride from a stranger was more than just an economical way to get around, she said. It was also a way to embark on an adventure and meet different people.
The article mentioned Mahood’s forthcoming book, Thumbing a Ride: Hitchhikers, Hostels and Counterculture in Canada, which explores hitchhiking and its disappearance from popular culture.
She studies 1970s youth culture, hippies and growing up in the 1970s.