CALL FOR PAPERS

Eighth International Conference on the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility (T2M)

New Delhi, India - December 2-5, 2010

—Transportation as a Lifeline of Development —

Deadline for Abstract & Short CV - 15th May 2010

The Conference
The International Association for the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility (T2M) invites proposals for papers to be presented at its Eighth International Conference to be held at the National Rail Museum, New Delhi, India from December 2nd to 5th 2010.

The Theme
This year the Conference Theme is ‘Transportation as a Lifeline of Development’. The Call for Papers (CfP) invites papers in this Theme field but at the same time it is open to all subjects in the history, heritage and sustainable development of transport, traffic and mobility.

The 8 International Conference of T2M is devoted to analysis and consideration of the relationships between transport infrastructures between transport infrastructures and the development of societies, states, regions, cities or companies. Papers and sessions which are related to the Conference Theme shall present the complexity of mutual influences between transport infrastructures and economic and societal development. It is, however, possible to propose papers and sessions in all topics related to the history of transport, traffic and mobility. The Conference Theme does not bind applicants.

Transport infrastructures played and play a crucial role for the economic and cultural development of societies. Governments of territorial states have understood improvement of transport infrastructures as a major tool for accelerating their economic development and strengthening their military power, and therefore tried to get control over transport facilities and use available resources for improving these systems. The foundation of an independent, state airline for instance, even with only one aircraft, was one of the first activities of some new states in Africa after the end of Colonialism. However, governmental or private investments in transport infrastructures did not always pay off as anticipated

In many rural regions, new but underused railway, road and airport infrastructures could become a financial burden with high operating and maintenance costs. The same is true for transport infrastructures, which were built mainly for military reasons.  In many so called developing countries colonial railway infrastructures never emerged as a transport network to meet the demands of the country but remained a necessary infrastructure for export of natural resources from mines or farmlands to ports. These lines often have not been extended and modernized after independence, so that only few former colonies have a modern and well maintained railway network. India is an exception from the rule with a dense, reliable, money making and growing railway network and thus a model for many countries worldwide. Strong links between transport and development are as interesting for the Conference as the relative independence of the two. Not all industrial revolutions or economic booms requested new and better transport facilities.

We invite proposals for single papers or full sessions. Full session proposals with three or four papers are encouraged, but, of course, proposals of single papers are heartily invited too. Besides the sessions, we will have a poster exhibition for every paper. All proposals by Ph-D students will at least be accepted for the poster exhibition.

see http://t2m.org/conferences/dehli-2010/ for more information on themes and practicalities