T2M Annual Conference: Mobilities and Infrastructures: Transitions and Transformations, 23–25 September 2024, Leipzig Comparative perspectives on public transport in the post-socialist East …………………………………… 2 Electric Sparks: New and old perspectives of Electric Buses and Trolleybuses. …………………………… 3 Data Mobilities and the Material Geographies of Internet Infrastructures ………………………………… 4 Social inequalities in the cycling experience ………………………………………………………………………… 5 Political economy of urban transportation: in search of conceptual and empirical contributions ….. 5 Re-Emerging Ghosts: After-Images of Black Mobilities in Fiction……………………………………………… 6 Before data, after platforms. Long trajectories of mobilities’ digitalisation ……………………………….. 7 Please send your abstract (300 words) and bio (100 words) to the session organisers by 30th of March 2024, and include the session name when submitting your abstract by 7th of April 2024 to t2m@leibniz-ifl.de. Proposals should also include the title, name, affiliation, and email address. Read all abstract in the pdf file: Session_proposal_collection_20240312

The 2023 Global Mobility Humanities Conference (GMHC) and 21st Annual Conference of the International Association for the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility (T²M) Organised by T2M and the Academy of Mobility Humanities (Konkuk University) “Mobilities, Aesthetics and Ethics” 25 ~ 28 October 2023 (hybrid) Konkuk University, Seoul The CfP for 2023 GMHC and T2M Conference (Seoul) pdf Conference website and programme Call for Participation Aesthetics (aesthesis) is increasingly being paid attention to by mobilities scholars studying not only artistic but also everyday practices. It is also being considered by those interested in mobility histories, technologies, infrastructures, and (urban) designs, who explore senses, emotions, and affects emerging, circulating, and dispersing between, among, and throughout bodies and others. Taking note of “movement enacted, felt, perceived, expressed, metered, choreographed, appreciated and desired” (Pearce and Merriman 2017, 498), for example, aesthetics means grappling with “queries concerning worldly encounters with site, the body and the senses, and around materiality and practices” (Hawkins and Straughan 2015, 2). Aesthetics may mean (an)aesthetics too (Bissell 2022; Sieverts 2007): to consider in what ways our capacities to feel and sense may be not only enlivened but lessened or deadened—desensitised—when on the move, both presently and in history. As “movement is made of time and space,” so are “moving people and objects […] agents in the production of time and space,” that practise, experience, and embody mobility (Cresswell 2006, 3-4). Mobilities can configure a time and space of gathering and/or scattering, communing (Nikolaeva et al., 2019) and/or monopolising, or in abundance and/or extinction from local to planetary. As both formative and (kin)aesthetical, they encourage us to ponder, judge, and perform what is good, valuable, and acceptable, calling attention to our responsibilities for others, the environment, and the globe. Which quality of time and space do we, with objects, commit to, are we producing, and should we be part of, via mobilities? Mobilities are both aesthetic and coloured with ethical values. Many mobilities researchers have taken mainly sustainability and/or climate change as their starting point to address and accept the ethics of mobilities (Freudendal-Pedersen 2014, 143), while recognising how aesthetic is a crucial element of transport imaginaries (and marketing). We, in addition, can explore ethics in everyday mobilities, as well as mobility histories, infrastructures, technologies, and policies, recognising bodily mobilities, e.g., such as dancing, bicycling, migrating, and touring, as both aesthetic and ethical. The conference seeks to enquire into the aesthetics and ethics of mobilities not (only) separately but (also) connected. This conference invites proposals from different disciplines within mobility studies, including, but not limited to: literary, cultural, art and design studies, philosophy, history, anthropology, geography, media and communication, architecture, urban planning, technology, tourism, transportation, education, Black and Indigenous studies, gender and sexuality studies, and others. It will present an opportunity for scholars to share their ideas and inquiries at the intersection of mobilities studies and humanities, transcending the conventional divide between the social sciences and humanities and the arts. We accept proposals for papers and sessions on one or more of the following topics/areas:

• Aesthetics and/or ethics of mobilities in literary, cultural, and artistic narratives
• Philosophical investigation on aesthetics and/or ethics of mobilities
• Aesthetics and/or ethics of mobilities from antiquity to future
• Geographies of aesthetics and/or ethics of mobilities
• Aesthetics and/or ethics of mobilities in new media technologies
• Architecture and its aesthetics and/or ethics in the Anthropocene
• Aesthetics and/or ethics in urban design, mapping, and planning of mobility
• Evolution of mobility technologies and their aftermaths on aesthetics and/or ethics
• Tourism and touristic aesthetics and/or ethics in the post-pandemic era
• Moving people and objects in transportation, logistics, and circulation
• Aesthetics and/or ethics in global educational mobilities
• Kinaesthetic dimensions and choreographies of diverse mobilities
• Environmental humanities and the aesthetics of more-than-human mobilities
• Coloniality and critical Black and Indigenous aesthetics and/or ethics of mobility
• Other related issues

Proposals can be for individual papers, panels, artworks, posters, and other creative formats, as outlined below. We welcome relevant contributions from any academic perspective or discipline, from professionals, policymakers and practitioners in the transport, traffic, and mobility field, as well as artists and creative professionals, designers, engineers, and educationalists in the art and humanities. The conference language is only English. The conference is organised in a hybrid format. Key Dates 6 March 2023            Deadline for the submission of sessions proposals 22 May 2023              Deadline for the submission of abstracts and full, pre-organised sessions 5 June 2023               Notification of acceptance for abstracts and sessions 5 June 2023               Early Bird registration opens 12 June 2023             Submission for travel grant 3 July 2023                Notification of acceptance for travel grant 10 July 2023               Early Bird registration closes 25 September 2023     Submission of full papers and posters 25-28 October 2023    Conference Submission formats Papers: Individual submission of a paper consists of an abstract (300 words) and a brief biography (100 words), including contact information. Papers will be grouped thematically by the programme committee and may become part of a 7/7, debate, or panel session. Sessions: A full, pre-organised 7/7, debate, or panel session. A session submission should include a title, a summary of the session theme and the method chosen for facilitating discussion (300 words), as well as abstracts for each contribution/presentation (300 words). A short biography of each presenter is also required (100 words), with contact information.

• 7/7 sessions: This means seven slides and seven minutes for each presentation (max 7 papers). The sessions will have plenty of time for discussion. This will be supported by having a chair who might also act as a discussant. Presenters shall focus on their main argument in order to avoid overly complex presentations.
• Debate sessions: Debate sessions have a maximum of five presenters. Each gives a five-minute focused input to the topic, and this should be followed by a discussion involving the audience. Led by a chair.
• Panel sessions: Panels consist of a chair, three to four paper presenters, and one discussant (optional). Panels should include time for audience discussion. Each presenter has 20 minutes (15 min + 5 min for questions); papers are grouped thematically.

Posters: This is a great way to discuss early or exploratory work and present it as a Poster at the conference. A submission consists of an abstract (300 words) and a brief biography (100 words), including contact information. The full poster is due by 25 September 2023. After Acceptance, all abstracts will be published on the conference website. You also have the opportunity to submit a Full paper (5,000 words). We strongly encourage the submission of full papers, which will be shared with all conference delegates. Authors whose contributions are accepted will have until 25 September 2023 to submit their full paper. Papers may be published in a restricted area for conference participants on the conference website and/or as part of the T2M archive. Consent from authors will be sought in all cases. Submit your paper, session proposals, and /or poster to: 2023gmhc.t2m@gmail.com For any questions, send an email to: 2023gmhc.t2m@gmail.com Registration All participants must register and pay the registration fee via the conference website (details to follow), with only one submission per person. Individual fee is for regular researchers. Reduced fee is for PhD students, researchers from the Global South, and retired scholars. Early Bird registration before 10 July 2023 Individual fee: 260 Euros (for T2M member: 200 Euros) Reduced fee:  230 Euros (for T2M member: 170 Euros) Online participation: 80 Euros (for T2M member: 50 Euros) Registration after 10 July to 3 October 2023 Individual fee: 360 Euros (for T2M member: 270 Euros) Reduced fee: 310 Euros (for T2M member: 220 Euros) Online participation: 120 Euros (for T2M member: 80 Euros) The registration fee will cover the costs for the conference materials, coffee/tea breaks, two lunches (Thursday and Friday), a welcome aperitive (Wednesday evening), two dinners (Thursday and Friday), and social events. Please email the Organising Committee (2023gmhc.t2m@gmail.com) with the subject heading “2023 GMHC Inquiry” if you have any questions or concerns. Travel Grants Graduates and doctoral students and participants from developing countries whose submissions have been accepted may apply for travel grants of up to € 250 (in the form of reimbursement). A limited number of grants are available. Applications should detail the cost of travel and the amount applied for in an email to (2023gmhc.t2m@gmail.com). Applications must be received by 12 June 2023; decisions will be made by 3 July 2023. The Committee will consider contribution for a reduced fee in case of online participation. Conference Committee Conference Committee Chairs Inseop Shin (Konkuk University), Carlos López Galviz (Lancaster University) Programme Committee Peter Adey (Royal Holloway University of London), Jooyoung Kim (Konkuk University), Taehee Kim (Konkuk University), Jinhyoung Lee (Konkuk University), Tiina Männistö-Funk (University of Turku), Victor Marquez (Mexico), Bradley Rink (University of the Western Cape), Mimi Sheller (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) Organising Committee Jin Suk Bae (Konkuk University), Bomi Im (Konkuk University), Jooyoung Kim (Konkuk University), Jurak Kim (Konkuk University), Taehee Kim (Konkuk University), Jaeeun Lee (Konkuk University), Jinhyoung Lee (Konkuk University), Yeonhee Woo (Konkuk University), Myungsim Yang (Konkuk University)

Mobility Humanities is a peer-reviewed, international and interdisciplinary journal published two times per year by the Academy of Mobility Humanities at Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea. While seeking vibrant interdisciplinary discussions on the phenomena, technologies, and infrastructures of mobility and its ramifications from the humanities perspective, Mobility Humanities encourages papers that delve into their cultural-political, ethical, and spiritual and emotional meanings, focusing on the representation, imagination, and speculation that surround mobility. Mobility Humanities welcomes original articles that make an innovative contribution to the humanities-based mobility studies from philosophical thoughts, literary, cultural and communication inquiries, historical, geographical, and sociological research around the world. We especially welcome research from and about Asia and the Global South. Mobility Humanties consists of articles, creative/visual essays, book reviews, scholarly interviews or dialogues, as well as special issues. Mobility Humanities boasts a strong editorial board composed of respected scholars from across the globe. Also, the journal collaborates with distinguished scholars as guest editors.   The journal is open-access http://journal-mobilityhumanities.com   Editor-in-Chief

Inseop Shin

Konkuk University, South Korea

Associate Editors

Jooyoung Kim
Taehee Kim
Jinhyoung Lee

Editorial Advisory Board Melani Budianta (Indonesia University, Indonesia) Maria Luisia T. Reyes (University of Santo Tomas, Philippines) Zhenzhao Nie (Zheijiang University, China) Editorial Board Peter Adey (Royal Holloway University of London, UK) Marian Aguiar (Carnegie Mellon University, USA) David Bissell (University of Melbourne, Australia) Tim Cresswell (Edinburgh University, UK) Dydia DeLyser (California State University, USA) Friederike Fleischer (University of the Andes, Colombia) Ole B. Jensen (Aalborg University, Denmark) Weiqiang Lin (National Singapore University, Singapore) Peter Merriman(Aberystwyth University, UK) Thomas Nail (University of Denver, USA) Lynne Pearce (Lancaster University, UK) Bradley Rink (University of the Western Cape, South Africa) Tania Rossetto (University of Padua, Italy) Noel Salazar (KU Leuven University, Belgium) Vincent Serrano (Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines) Sarah Sharma (University of Toronto, Canada) Mimi Sheller (Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA) Sireesha Telugu (University of Hyderabad, India) Hiroshi Todoroki (Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan) Anna-Leena Toivanen (University of Eastern Finland, Finland)

When exactly does it start? How far into the future do the multiple legacies of profound change endure? With an end of the covid-19 pandemic in sight, and recognising the significant uneven geography of its effects, I write this message against a background of news media reports around the world on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. By 2 March 2022, the UN reported that over 675,000 people have crossed the Ukrainian border into Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. They have done so in fear for their lives and seeking safety. ‘Prior to this 2022 crisis’, the UN Refugee Agency reports, ‘almost 3 million people were already facing humanitarian need in Ukraine, including 850,000 internally displaced Ukrainians and 5,000 refugees from other countries.’ The very constitution of Europe, the return of the latent fears of nuclear war, and historical comparisons between Russian artillery strikes and the Battle of Britain have been cited as a means of making sense of the narrative of the conflict of which we are witness to unfolds. The 2013 T2M conference crossed the border between Finland and Russia, with proceedings starting in Kouvola and ending in Saint Petersburg. The theme of the conference was Transport and Borders. Transport, Andrey Vozyanov remarked in his conference report, must accommodate ‘the fact that the world is full of borders […] borders are sometimes what mobility needs – to boost new ideas and developments.’ What new ideas and new developments might emerge out of the current crisis in Ukraine is a hopeful prospect; a counterbalance to the human tragedy escalating there every day. The theme Disruptions and Reconnections of the 2022 conference jointly organised by T2M and the Centre for Advanced Studies in Mobility and Humanities (MoHu) of the University of Padua, gives us a fitting opportunity to reflect on the meanings, reasons, factors and legacies of moments of crisis. Crises which include those affecting nearly everyone as the covid-19 pandemic has, and crises somewhat localised and instigated by the prospect and reality of war. What is a disruption to some, may escalate to become a tragedy to others. Forced reconnections inspired by selective readings of the past may ignite the kind of unity that was previously unthought. Our annual conference, which in 2022 aims for a hybrid online and in-person format, provides a fitting forum to reflect on whether and in what ways do moments of crisis have entered our lives, and including the role that transport and mobility may have played in them. Raising the question of what disruptions and which reconnections take shape in the process is a powerful analytical lens to reflect on where crises fit into history and our future. The T2M team, the local organising committee of the University of Padua and the MoHu Centre, look forward to receiving your contributions to this year’s conference in whichever format suits. Collective reflection is always welcome and it feels that, against the events of the past 2 years including the first quarter of 2022, there couldn’t be a more fitting time to insist that we all do. With all best wishes, Carlos López Galviz Lancaster University, UK.   10 March 2022

If you do, a new short survey from the Journal of Transport History wants to find out more about what you teach, how you teach it – and what might be useful in terms of future support and resources! We’d love contributions from across the world, and across our field. It doesn’t matter if you consider yourself a transport & mobility historian or not, if you teach in a History department or not, or if it’s a whole course, single module or even a single seminar – if you’re teaching on topics which look at transport or mobility in the past, then we’d be keen to find out more. We want to use it to think about how teaching is an important part of our field and where it might help build career progression – perhaps we traditionally think more about research, but all researchers start somewhere, and very often that’s in a taught session that inspires us to go further. So, do please fill the survey in here: https://tinyurl.com/bmy69bu6 Hopefully it will enable us to feature more teaching-related content in the Journal of Transport History, and to give more support for university-level teaching of transport and mobility history. Our thanks in advance to you for filling out the survey! Mike Esbester

On behalf of the John Scholes Prize Committee, I’m delighted to announce that this year’s Prize winner is Ioannis Limnios-Sekeris, a 3rd-year PhD student in the Department of Political Science and History at Panteion University, Athens. We unanimously awarded the Prize for his paper “A Multifaceted Business: International Migration and Transport Sector amidst the Cold War”. The paper links a number of areas with global transport history in an innovative way, including histories of migration, politics and business. It explores the role of the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) from the 1950s through to the 1980s. It addresses Cold War politics and the responses of the USA and its allies´ to migration, eventually supporting national transport actors and their flag-carrying providers. We can see how the ICEM drove particular modes of transport – but was itself subject to pressures from nation states and the transport interests. Congratulations to Ioannis! The prize consists of 200Euros in cash from the International Association for the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility and £150 of book vouchers from SAGE, the publishers of the Journal of Transport History. We will work with Ioannis to revise the paper and put it through the peer review process at the Journal of Transport History, with a view to publication. Several entrants to past years’ competitions have in this way been published recently, with 2 more articles to be published in the coming weeks. Our thanks to all entrants, the Prize Committee (Anne Ebert, Mike Esbester and Massimo Moraglio), and the prize sponsors. The 2021 competition is now open, and we warmly encourage you to consider submitting.

The Journal of Transport History is launching this Call for Papers devoted to further developing the ontology of Transport History. The papers can have any format or length (between 2 and 8 thousand words) and take on innovative analytical approaches. The papers collected for this CfP, which will be published in the JTH, will eventually – with the authors’ agreement – be used as the foundation for a future Handbook of Transport History, which may take the form of a print volume or an on-line depository. Abstracts are welcome until 5th October 2020, to be sent to JTH Editor-in-chief Massimo Moraglio jth.editor@gmail.com The full text is available at https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0022526620927592 Dr. Massimo Moraglio Editor-in-chief of The Journal of Transport History Technische Universitaet Berlin Marchstraße 23, Sekr. MAR 1-1 D-10587 Berlin

We are very pleased to let you know that the John Scholes Transport History Prize competition for 2020 is open, with a deadline for submissions of 3 August 2020.

The prize, which carries a cash recognition (200 Euros) & £150 of vouchers to spend with SAGE, is awarded annually to the writer of a publishable paper based on original research into any aspect of the history of transport and mobility. The prize is intended to recognise budding transport historians. It may be awarded to the writer of one outstanding article, or be divided between two or more entrants. Typically, the prize is awarded for research completed as part of a PhD.

Publication in the Journal of Transport History will be at the discretion of the Editor and subject to the normal refereeing process.

The prize is named in memory of John Scholes, the first Curator of Historical Relics at the British Transport Commission. The prize is funded by the International Association for the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility (T2M – www.t2m.org) and SAGE, publishers of the Journal of Transport History.

Entry is limited to researchers who, at the time of submission, are not yet in or have just commenced a permanent / tenured academic (or equivalent) position, and who are just starting to publish research.

Essays (in English, double-spaced) should not exceed 8,000 words (including footnotes). Sources must be documented fully. Entries must be submitted electronically, to arrive no later than 3 August 2019.

They must not bear any reference to the author or institutional affiliation. Senior scholars will judge entries against criteria of originality, thoroughness and excellence of argument, source use, composition and illustration. The process is ‘double-blind’. The judges will not enter into correspondence.

A cover letter and a one-page CV must demonstrate eligibility for the prize. Entries for the prize should be sent to the JTH Editor at jth.editor@gmail.com. The subject line of the message must read ‘John Scholes Prize entry 2020’. In the body of the message please indicate how you found out about the prize.

The full call for submissions is here: https://journals.sagepub.com/page/jth/john-scholes-prize

Belts and Roads: Governmental Visions for Transport and Mobility. Strategic Transport Infrastructures and the State

The International Association for the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility (T²M) calls for papers to be presented at its 18^th annual conference, which will take place in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, on 22 – 24 October 2020.

Conference website: http://www.t2mconference-2020.org/

The Local Organising Committee of T²M invites all academic researchers and practitioners working on history, sociology, politics and planning of transport, traffic and mobility to participate in the Conference, a scientific meeting dedicated to the study of strategic transport infrastructures and the state.

The Conference will take place at Tongji University in Shanghai. The city provides an ideal setting for discussing the role of the state for big transport infrastructure planning. The conference will include an opportunity to visit China and its Belt and Road initiative.

The T²M Annual Conference is open to papers and sessions on any field or topic of historical and social science mobility studies. However, we especially invite the submission of single papers or full sessions (three papers) on any topic related to “strategic transport infrastructures and the state”.

The conference title focuses on the history and future of governmental transport infrastructures in vision, planning, and implementation. Sessions should analyse these governmental programs and their economic, political and military implications.We encourage submissions for the analysis of strategic governmental planning from urban to intercontinental transport.

Governmental visions and plans were absolutely crucial for the erection of transport infrastructures throughout history, but the actual motivation for the selection of this year’s specific theme is the official Chinese vision and policy for transcontinental economic exchange and infrastructures,  which in 2013 was named „One Belt, One Road“ (OBOR)  (Yīdài Yīlù, 一带一路). The name recenty changed to Belt and Road Initiative （BRI）to avoid the focus on one connection alone, as the policy includes many transport connections via land and sea. Sometimes, the initiative is called the new economic Silk Road (Xīn Sīchóuzhīlù,新丝绸之路). The term „new silk road“ refers to the economic connections between China and Europe since the second century BC and throughout medieval and early modern history. However, the term „silk road“ was coined by the geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen not before the 1870s.

Tongji University, which is one of the leading research universities in China and in planning sciences often cited as number one in the country, has strong international relations. The University has created colleges with European Universities since many years, e.g. CDHK (Chinesisch-Deutsches Hochschulkolleg) and IFCIM (Institut Franco-Chinois d’Ingénierie et de Management). The T2M conference will take place in the premises of CHDK. IFCIM will invite to a second event on “Transport with a High Level of Service” (THNS2020) at the same time. The organizing committee does  comprise members  from Tongji University, CDHK, Center for Global  History of Shanghai University, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing) and Nanjing University.

In order to advance collaboration between universities and policy makers, both academic researchers and practitioners working on transport and border issues are most welcome to attend.

It is a T²M tradition that paper and session proposals are not limited to the general topic. We ask for paper and session proposals for all themes in the field of transport, traffic and mobility. By this, the annual conference will give, in a broad way, an up-to-date overview on the field of historical transport and mobility studies.                         

The Conference language is English.

DEADLINES

The final deadline for proposals is May 31, 2020. The proposal must include a short abstract, the title of the presentation, the name of the presenter(s), CV, e-mail address of the author(s), contact number and information on audiovisual needs. This must be sent to submissions@t2m.org. 

The deadline for the full paper (6-8 pages) is August 15^, 2020 as we will distribute all papers beforehand in an online version. Presenters at the Conference may assume that their paper has been read and they should prepare a fifteen-minute summary to allow for debate and discussion within the session.

POSTERS

Submission of a fully completed poster form is mandatory for all speakers, for T2M wants to invest more energy into communication. Deadline of final posters is August 15^, 2020 to submissions@t2m.org. The poster format should be a pdf. It will be published in A2; therefore pictures should be in fine resolution and letters in appropriate size.

Posters will be judged. The best posters will receive a prize.

 T²M TRAVEL GRANTS

Ph.D. students and scholars from emerging countries are encouraged to apply for travel grants at T²M. Please send in your application together with the proposal at:secretary@t2m.org. (Please download a travel grant form at Travel Grant Form.

VISA

The participants may need to obtain a visa. The organisers of T²M are prepared to assist delegates with obtaining a visa by sending official invitation letters upon request. This letter however does not involve any commitments by the Conference organisers to cover fees, accommodation, travel expenses or other costs connected with participation in the Conference.

To obtain an invitation to T²M, delegates must first complete the registration form and settle all conference and related fees. Delegates are encouraged to make their invitation requests at their earliest convenience.

Please note that delegates are responsible for their own travel arrangements, including determining the visa requirements for travel to Shanghai for the Conference. If you are considering participating in any post-conference tours, please make sure that you make the necessary visa arrangements

The T²M organisers will not be held responsible for a visa not granted. Failure to obtain a visa will not be accepted as grounds for refund of any fees or any other costs paid to the Conference.

COMMITTEES

Organizing Committee

Siegfried Zhiqiang Wu, Vice President Tongji UniversityPan Haixiao, Tongji UniversityKeping Li, Tongji University

Sigrun Abels, China Center, TU Berlin

Hans-Liudger Dienel, TU Berlin

Jean-Francois Janin,

Etienne Faugier, Ecole des Mines ParisTech ISIGE, T²M Association

Program Committee

Keping Li, Tongji UniversityPan Haixiao, Tongji University

Iris Borowy, Center for Global History, Shanghai University

Hans-Liudger Dienel, Berlin University of TechnologyGijs Mom, Eindhoven University of TechnologyMathieu Flonneau, Paris 1 University, President T²MInes von Racknitz, Nanjing UniversityRong Xinchun, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, BeijingZhang Xiuli, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences

Questions concerning the Annual Conference to our T2M Executive Secretary
Etienne Faugier
secretary@t2m.org

The T²M website: www.t2m.org

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/T2Minternational/

Leer en español

By Melina Piglia

INHUS-UNMdP/CONICET (Argentina)

This post is adapted from the conference paper and presentation that the author developed for the 2016 meeting of T2M in Mexico City. Melina is a professor at Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Argentina, and a researcher at National Council for Science and Technology (CONICET), focused on the study of the history of mobility, transport and tourism in Argentina during the twentieth century. For more information on Melina’s work, visit her Academia.edu page, https://mdp.academia.edu/MelinaPiglia 

The rapid transformation of aviation as a form of transport presented a series of challenges and opportunities to nation-states. In the new setting that emerged at the end of World War II, with the United States as the new hegemonic—and aerial—power, the survival of local airlines against devastating North American competition depended on protectionist measures that national governments offered. This protection would become possible, curiously, in the new institutions (based on democratic principles) designed at the beginning of the 1940s (in the context of the fight against fascism) for the creation of a postwar global order under U.S. leadership.

In the process of establishing the International Association for Civil Aviation (ICAO), U.S. pressure in favor of “open skies” encountered strong and effective resistance. Early on, this resistance was led by the outgoing global power, Great Britain, which opposed U.S. claims at a 1944 meeting in Chicago; instead, the UK proposed regulating the use of air routes. Without a multilateral agreement that governed aviation, member countries agreed to five “freedoms of the air.”

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President’s Letter 

11 December 2015

Dear Members and Friends of T²M,

During this week of COP21 climate talks in Paris our thoughts turn to the history of transportation: how did we arrive at the current carbon-intensive system — in which at least one quarter of CO₂emissions are attributed to transportation — and how might we transition out of it? Will this transition proceed in different ways in different parts of the world, and where are the most encouraging developments? Based on our understandings of transport history, how can we contribute to the post-automobility transition?

At the same time, our world at present seems disturbed by the dark mobilities brought about by various kinds of violence: the cloaked mobility of terrorism and terrorists; the deathly maneuvers of drones and aerial warfare; the rapid-fire circulation of guns, violent ideologies, and social media recruitment campaigns; the persistent threats to the black body in public space in America; and the resurgence of xenophobic, populist, nationalist movements and attacks on minorities. How can our field also contribute to public deliberations about borders, security, migration, and the power relations of mobility and immobility?

Yet amidst this December darkness there is always also some light. Some public leaders are reiterating the values of protecting refugees, interfaith dialogue, and open communication. World leaders may reach an agreement on reducing CO₂  emissions. The emergence of ‘disruptive’ technologies based on sharing and fractional use may well undermine the 20th century system of automobility, and new policies for urban planning are beginning to limit car use in many major cities.

All of these changes are the bread and butter of historians of transport, traffic, and mobility, linked to our field’s deep and abiding interests in complex socio-technical systems, the making and unmaking of infrastructure, local and global change, urban form and policy mobilities, and the differentials of power and justice that inform all of these. So I remain hopeful for our ability to move forward in 2016 toward more sustainable and socially just systems of mobility, and I trust that members of T²M will play an important part in bringing these about around the world.

In line with these hopes we look forward to many important developments within T²M itself. First, we warmly anticipate (and are busy readying for) our 13th Annual Conference in Mexico City in 2016 on “Mobilities: Space of Flows and Friction.” The Call for Papers has been circulating – be sure to spread the word far and wide. The conference will take place in the beautiful Chapultepec Park from October 27-30th, with an Opening Address from Mexico’s Secretary of the Environment, Tanya Müller Garcia, and several exciting Keynote Speakers whom we will be announcing soon.

Second, we are delighted to be moving forward with the complete redesign of the T²M website, along with a new conference management system, both of which we hope to launch in January. So please look out for the announcement, and once online, please spread the news far and wide.

Third, we are taking great strides with our journals, making online access and fully searchable back issues available for the Journal of Transport History, which has just moved to a new publisher, Sage; online access to our Yearbook, Mobility in History, now available from Berghahn, along with the option of discounted subscriptions to Transfers: Interdisciplinary Journal of Mobility Studies; as well as the option for discounted subscriptions to Mobilities, published by Taylor and Francis.

All of these options for those either joining T²M or renewing membership will be clearly laid out on the new website. For current members, if you were expecting a mailing of JTH, we will instead be sending out instructions for opening your new online subscription with our new publisher Sage.

I want to thank all of you who are volunteering your work on our Executive Committee, our Local Organizing Committee and Program Committee for the conference, and the many other committees that keep T²M going behind the scenes throughout the year. Finally, I want to wish you all a light of hope for this December and a Happy New Year for 2016.

Best wishes,

Mimi Sheller

President, T²M

President’s Letter – Mimi Sheller

September 2016

Dear T²M members,

It is just a little over a month until our annual conference meets in Mexico City! Registrations are complete and if you have not already done so be sure to book your travel and accommodation and submit your final paper. We look forward to a rich array of panels on topics such as Mobility Justice, Politics and Hope, Mobility in Transition, Trans-Border Mobilities, Gendered Mobilities, Tourism, Placemaking, and sessions on various aspects of automobility, cycling, railways, and aviation history. We are also looking forward to keynote addresses by Brazilian historian of automobility Guillermo Giucci, cultural geographer of mobilities Tim Cresswell, and museum curator Debbie Douglas. I want to thank our Local Organizing Committee for their tireless efforts to prepare the conference: Víctor Márquez (Chair), Dhan Zunino Singh, Tomás Errázuriz, and Maximiliano Velázquez.

This has been a year of many developments in the realm of transport, from the ongoing expansion of car-sharing or ride-on-demand services to the arrival of self-driving cars in some cities; the expansion of the Panama Canal and the crisis of over-supply in the freight shipping industry; the spread of urban bike-sharing programs and growing number of bicycle commuters in many cities; the continuing ‘automobilization’ of mega-cities in Asia and Africa, and the continuing efforts at a renewable energy shift in many countries. All of this, and more, is at the heart of transport history and mobility studies: What do these social, economic and cultural changes mean for how people organize their lives and societies? How do we understand the past in new ways in light of present challenges? And how can re-thinking this history help us steer towards a better future?

We hope you have been enjoying our refreshed website launched this year with a new format featuring a special section for conference announcements and events; Recent News items including publication announcements, View from the Street stories, and In the Spotlight interviews; and new convenient access to our range of publications: the T²M Yearbook: Mobility in History, the Journal of Transport History, and specially priced subscriptions for members to Transfers: Interdisciplinary Journal of Mobility Studies, and Mobilities. I especially want to thank our website committee for advancing this wonderful transformation, including Julia Hildebrand, Hiroki Shin, and Andrey Vozyanov.

As our excellent Yearbook editor Kyle Shelton points out in his Preface to Vol. 8, we have decided with our publisher Berghahn to shift the T²M Yearbook: Mobility in History to a digital format, allowing for the use of color photos and graphics and online access to all back issues, as well as great cost savings. Publishing is transforming these days into new accessible online formats. With the move of the Journal of Transport History to a new publisher with SAGE, it is also now being published digitally. With these changes we will be publishing engaging shorter state of the field pieces, interviews, commentaries and discussion pieces on our own website platform. Please note that you can now also sign up for our T²M Newsletter which will be delivered electronically – please register from the t2m.org website. We also invite all members to send in items to our busy team of Newsletter editors Robin Kellermann, Andrey Vozyanov, and Thiago Allis.

Over the last few years T²M has successfully expanded to include not only historians of transport and mobility, but also sociologists, geographers, anthropologists, media studies scholars, and other disciplines. We have cemented our relationship with the Cosmobilities Network through hosting conferences together at Drexel (2014) and Caserta, Italy (2015) and at our Annual Members Meeting this year we will hear a proposal to host our 2017 conference in association with the Centre for Mobilities Research and the Institute for Social Futures at Lancaster University in England. It is a period of building connections and linking institutions across our dynamic interdisciplinary field, which is drawing greater international recognition.

I want to thank our Vice Presidents whose terms are coming to a close this year: Marie-Noëlle Polino, Massimo Moraglio, and Sven Kesselring. We look forward to electing new Vice Presidents and members of the Executive Committee during our Annual Member’s Meeting, and electronic balloting will also be available next month. If there is anyone else who would like to be nominated to run for the EC please submit your name right away to Ralf Roth, chair of the elections committee, or by contacting secretary@t2m.org.

I look forward to seeing those of you who will be joining us in Mexico City, and for those who cannot make the transatlantic crossing this year, we look forward to seeing you in Europe next year, as we continue to rotate our conference location on a biannual basis.

Best wishes,

Mimi Sheller

President, T²M

We have sadly lost our esteemed colleague John Urry, who died on March 18th. John gave so many of us the spark of curiosity that led to our interest in mobility studies. He had a unique way of synthesizing diverse fields and starting new conversations. His modest brilliance opened up new avenues of thought and new insights, without insisting on any school of theory or disciplinary limits. Through his kind encouragement and searching questions he helped so many students grow into better scholars, and set sail to so many new careers. We will miss him deeply as a caring teacher, a collaborator, a colleague and friend.  

John’s deeply historically informed perspective on mobilities has advanced new agendas across a whole array of diverse fields, including transport history and transportation studies. Its impact is still rippling outwards, from his early work on spatial theory and tourism studies, to his recent interests in climate change, complexity, and social futures. Now that seam of productivity comes to a kind of an end, but not the energy that it contains and the many sparks that will continue to fly off of it.

 John Urry’s funeral is taking place on Monday April 4th at 2.45 in the Lancaster and Morecombe Crematorium. This will be followed (from 4pm) by the sharing of memories at the Midland Hotel Morecambe, where it is intended not only to mourn but also to celebrate his life.

 An inspiring page of tributes is being gathered by Lancaster University at this memorial page. He will be in our thoughts and continue to influence our work for many decades to come. T2M will honour John’s life and his work at our upcoming conference, as we continue with the boundless project of mobility studies which has brought so many of us together.  

Mimi Sheller

President, T2M