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.
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 18th annual conference, which will take place in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, on 22 – 24 October 2020.
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
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.”
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.
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.
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.
