Beyond Empowerment. Hyper-Mobility between Acceleration and Technology
Referat im Panel Migration, Mobilität und Reichtum
This presentation recognizes multi-location lifestyle and hyper-mobility are long-term phenomena. Under such a perspective, this work aims to define actors, practices and experiences of Gastarbeitern travelling by coach between Germany and South European countries throughout the period 1955-1975.
I argue that – beside the historical dimension - understanding migrants using long distance coach services in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s may offer hints to explain today ́s multi-local and multi-nation lifestyles (as currently practiced for both work and leisure activities).
Beyond the case study (which is currently under investigation), the paper aims to open a discussion on a wider understanding of multi-location lifestyle and mobility. There methodological questions will be outlined.
1. The Gastarbeitern mobility experience puts a long-term perspective the concept and the actors of hyper-mobility, thus avoiding a-historical narratives of globalization and acceleration.
2. The role of transport technologies (Buses vs. Easyjet) in accelerating the pace of mobility and everyday life (see Rosa ́s works) must be better appraised.
3. Underlining the dark side of mobility (Cohen and Gössling 2015), the paper would re- think the Wahlverwandtschaft of modernity and mobility (Rammler 2008), inviting to reframe the dominant narrative of mobility as an empowerment tool.