CFP: Sensuous Mobilities

Guest Editors: Garth Lean (University of Western Sydney, Australia) and Gordon Waitt (University of Wollongong, Australia)

As we move through the world, and as our worlds move in, through and around us, our bodies are aroused, stimulating affect, emotions, imagination, memory, creativity, chemical reactions, audible responses and libidos, to name but an enticing few responses. In recent years debates that focus on the corporeal experiences of mobility have opened up new ways of thinking about movement that complicate issues of representation and that raise important questions about senses, materialities and the capacities of bodies more generally. A great deal of work is still required, however, to better understand the productive possibilities of this emergent area of inquiry.

This Call for Papers around the theme of 'sensuous mobilities' enables a focused exploration of emerging thinking opened up by analysis of the embodied dimensions of different types of mobility. The Australian Geographer is a leading national and international journal publishing articles that are conceptually-informed and empirically-grounded. This theme issue invites expression of interests from scholars critically engaging with the embodied dimensions of mobility in human geography and related fields. As a list to stimulate ideas for potential contributions, but in no way a fixed delineation, possible themes might include:

  *   The role of the sensuous body - sight, sound, taste, smell and touch - and, in particular, how they entwine to create sensuous mobilites and sensual encounters;
  *   Sensuous mobilities in relation to the subject;
  *   'Non-Western' perspectives of sensuous mobilties;
  *   Unspoken and unspeakable sensual mobilities;
  *   Sensuality and immobility;
  *   Sensual mobilities and the more-than-human;
  *   The undiscovered/unknown/forgotten senses.

The special issue seeks contributions representing a range of mobilities (such as migration, refugees, tourism, military service, virtual travel, imaginative travel, pilgrimage, commuting, short-car trips, leisurely/sporting pursuits (walking, cycling, sailing and so forth). Proposals must be conceptually-led, and may examine new methods for the investigation, analysis and presentation of the corporeal experiences of mobilities. A word limit of 5-6,000 is proposed for each paper (including references). Detailed information on the review process and paper requirements will be provided on acceptance.

Writing schedule:

Please submit article proposals (comprised of an abstract of up to 250 words and a list of highlights detailing the main contribution of the research to wider debates in the form of 3 to 5 bullet points (maximum 250 words)) and a short biography (including recent publications) to the volume's editors at [email protected][email protected]> by 7th February 2014. The guest editors will communicate decisions by early March 2014. First drafts of accepted contributions will be due by the end of July 2014, with the target date for publication being early 2015. We will also be seeking to expand the issue into an edited book.


* This special issue will be published as a part of Volume 46 of Australian Geographer.