Konkuk University Humanities Korea Plus (HK+) Project, the Academy of Mobility Humanities (Director: Inseop Shin), successfully held the 2023 Global Mobility Humanities Conference (GMHC). From October 25th to 28th, the 2023 GMHC was held under the theme of “Mobility, Aesthetics and Ethics” at the New Millennium U-Gok International Conference Centre and Hae-Bong Real Estate Building. One hundred and fifty-three mobility researchers from 29 countries worldwide, representing various fields, including philosophy, literature, cultural studies, sociology, anthropology, and geography, participated in this conference as a hub for international research networks.
Konkuk University, the Ministry of Education, and the Korea Research Foundation sponsored the 2023 GMHC. The International Association for the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility (T2M), the world’s largest mobility research organisation, co-hosted the conference in celebration of the 20th anniversary of T2M.
The conference began with an opening address by Inseop Shin, the director of the Academy of Mobility Humanities, and Carlos López Galviz, the chair of T2M. Following this, there was a congratulatory speech by Hanguk Seo, the president of the teaching department at Konkuk University. The event featured keynote lectures by the renowned global mobility researcher Gijs Mom, a professor at Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands, and Sireesha Telugu, a professor at the University of Hyderabad, India. The conference was conducted in a hybrid format, connecting 22 different sessions both online and offline.
Professor Gijs Mom, a renowned scholar in mobility research, delivered a keynote lecture, “New Mobility Studies: Niche to Mainstream,” dealing with new mobility research, and Professor Sireesha Telugu, a leading figure in Asian diaspora studies, discussed issues related to migration, immigration, and postcolonial literature under the title “The Aesthetics and Ethics of Displacement: Refugees and Repatriates.” On the third day of the conference, a particular panel discussion was held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of T2M, which plays a significant role in leading mobility research. Under the theme of “On the Bus with Gijs,” Hans-Liudger Dienel, a professor at the Technical University of Berlin, Mimi Sheller, a professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Mathieu Flonneau, a professor at Pantheon-Sorbonne Paris University, and Carlos López-Galviz discussed the past and future of mobility research.
Over the three days, the conference held twenty-two presentation sessions, with participation from mobility researchers from Europe, the Americas, Australia, and Asia, including members of the Asia Mobility Humanities Network, led by the Academy of Mobility Humanities. Notably, the Centre for Mobilities Research of Lancaster University in the UK organised an online “Lancaster Hub” and participated in the conference featuring scholars from the UK, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Estonia, and other countries. This section had six presentations, including Alice Mah’s special speech commemorating John Urry and Tim Edensor’s lecture. Additionally, attendees experienced various aspects of Korean traditional culture, such as fan dancing, taekwondo, tuho, jegichagi, and tea ceremony in cultural events.
GMHC, the only global academic conference in Mobility Humanities, has been held annually since 2019 (except for 2020 due to COVID-19). Konkuk University and The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Leiden University, Netherlands, will co-host the 2024 Global Mobility Humanities Conference in October 2024 at Konkuk University. Additionally, the 2023 GMHC video will be available on the Academy of Mobility Humanities’ YouTube.
