Towards a Politics of Mobility

TLDR

The paper argues that developing a politics of mobility is important. The study proposes an approach to mobility that integrates historical mobilities and immobility, conceptualizing mobility as an entanglement of movement, representation, and practice. It develops this approach by framing mobility as an entanglement of movement, representation, and practice, and by analyzing motive force, speed, rhythm, route, experience, and friction to outline constellations of mobility.

Abstract

This paper proposes an approach to mobility that takes both historical mobilities and forms of immobility seriously. It is argued that is important for the development of a politics of mobility. To do this it suggests that mobility can be thought of as an entanglement of movement, representation, and practice. Following this it argues for a more finely developed politics of mobility that thinks below the level of mobility and immobility in terms of motive force, speed, rhythm, route, experience, and friction. Finally, it outlines a notion of ‘constellations of mobility’ that entails considering the historical existence of fragile senses of movement, meaning, and practice marked by distinct forms of mobile politics and regulation.