JTRG call for papers: Transport and Logistics in China

As of 1st January I have taken over as editor-in-chief of Journal of Transport Geography (JTRG) — a job I have been looking forward to since last last summer.

I use this post to plug a call for papers for a special issue of JTRG on The Changing Landscapes of Transport and Logistics in China, which will be guest edited by Becky Loo and Donggen Wang. The blurb for the special issue reads as follows:

Since the Open Policy, the Chinese economy has undergone very remarkable growth and transformation. Rapid industrialization has intensified the demand for faster and more reliable circulation of goods. Moreover, the rapid income growth has spurred people’s demand for higher mobility, especially by aviation and automobiles. Accordingly, there have been a drastic expansion of transport infrastructure, the introduction of institutional reforms, and an unprecedented increase in transport externalities (such as carbon dioxide emissions and road traffic crashes). This Special Issue seeks to provide a broad overview of changes in the key aspects of transport (that is, including all modes of transport) and logistics in China, especially after 2000. Both modeling and analytical papers are welcome but the main issues tackled should be of national significance.

The tentative time schedule is:

  • Deadline for submission of abstracts: 15th March 2013
  • Invitations to submit full paper: 13th April 2013
  • Deadline for full paper: 1st October 2013
  • Publication: Summer/Autumn 2014

Abstracts should be submitted directly to  Becky Loo at bpyloo@hku.hk <mailto:bpyloo@hku.hk>.

 

Foucault and Mobilities Workshop

After a hectic December and a break over the festive season I am at last able to write a new and long overdue post. At this moment I am in Lucerne and the workshop on Foucault and Mobilities that I co-organised with Katharina Manderscheid and David Tyfield has just finished. It has been a wonderful experience: great people, great papers, great discussions, great atmosphere.

I have learnt a lot about how others work with and along Foucault in studying im/mobilities in a great variety of contexts: water management in Singapore, fire in County Durham, madness in Scotland, prisons in Belgium and electric transportation in China are only some of the topics that have been discussed. And I have also learnt a great detail about how others understand (and sometimes struggle with) such concepts as the dispositif/apparatus and discursive practice, as well as Foucault’s methods.

There was a strong sentiment that our discussions about Foucault and mobilities should be taken forward, and we will be setting up some sort of internet platform or resource, where publications on Foucault and mobilities will be brought together and where discussions can be conducted. The powerpoint presentations from the workshop may be made available there as well. More on this will follow shortly.