On the Move: Facets of a Sociology of Mobilities

„It sometimes seems as if all the world is on the move. The early retired, international students, terrorists, members of diasporas, holidaymakers, business people, slaves, sports stards, asylum seekers, refugees, backpackers, commuters, young mobile professionals, prostitutes – these and many others – seem to find the contemporary world is their oyster at least their destiny. Criss-crossing the globe are the routeways of these many groups intermittently encountering one another in transportation and communication hubs, searching out in real and electronic databases the next coach, message, plane, back of lorry, text, bus lift, ferry, train, car, web site, wifi hot spot and so on.” (John Urry, 2007: 3).

In this seminar we will explore these multi-faceted and multiple worlds of contemporary mobilities and their implications to reigning conceptions of society, territory, and social integration. In fact, the new and massive cross-border mobilities strongly challenge the assumption of coherent segmented territorial ‘life-worlds’ and encourages the perception of new patterns and new (trans-national and trans-local) spaces of social interaction. New modes and aspirations of social interaction increasingly substitute traditional forms and desires of gathering and being together. Transnational ‘spaces of flows’ increasingly overlay and transform less mobile and fixed socio-spatial arrangements. This also brings about new patterns of social control, social super- and subordination as well as new boundaries between mobile and immobile worlds.

Starting from John Urry’s “Mobilities Paradigms” we will explore different facets of this new sociology of mobilities in this seminar from various theoretical backgrounds and angles. All discussions, texts and seminar proceedings will be in English language. Therefore, a fair knowledge of English and above all the willingness to read, discuss and write in English is expected of all participants. The seminar is especially open for and recommended to students from abroad.

Requirements: regular attendance, oral presentations, and essays

Recommended reading:

Urry, John (2007): Mobilities. Cambridge; Malden, MA: Polity Press.