Mobile Methodologies - call for papers

Mobile Methodologies: Researching Mobile Experiences

Convenors: Mark McGuinness (Bath Spa University, UK) & Justin Spinney (Royal Holloway, UK). Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British
Geographers) Annual Conference, London, 30 August-1 September 2006.

First call for papers

In geography, urban studies, sociology and elsewhere there is heightened awareness of the importance of better understandings of the movement of bodies through space (as walkers, cyclists, dancers, drivers, passengers etc). Such sustained emphases on movement suggest interesting methodological questions: how do we research and represent mobile experiences: of being in place momentarily, of passing through, of being 'in-between'? Can existing social scientific research methods that slow down and freeze experiences (the interview, the focus group, the survey) adequately capture mobile experiences, practices where the context of movement itself may be crucial to understanding the significance of the event to the participant, rather than being simply 'read off' from destination points and origins? This session examines the foundations of this perceived limitation and considers methodological responses, technologies and representational strategies designed to more fully inform our understanding of people's experience of movement through space, such as through the use of video recordings, audio diaries, photographic diaries, text trails, blogs and travelogues.

Abstracts for 15 minute papers addressing any aspect of researching mobile experiences should be submitted to Dr Mark McGuinness (m.mcguinness@bathspa.ac.uk) no later than 20th January 2006. You can contact either of us if you require any further information about the session.