Over the last two decades, the conceptualisation and empirical analysis of mobilities of people, objects and symbols has become an important strand of social science. Yet, the increasing importance of mobilities in all parts of the social does not only happen as observable practices in the material world but also takes place against the background of changing discourses, scientific theories and conceptualisations and knowledge. Within the formation of these mobilities discourses, the social sciences constitute a relevant actor. Focussing on mobility as an object of knowledge from a Foucauldian perspective rather than a given entity within the historical contingency of movement, this book asks: How do discourses and ideologies structure the normative substance, social meanings, and the lived reality of mobilities? What are the real world effects of/on the will and the ability to be mobile? And, how do these lived realities, in turn, invigorate or interfere with certain discourses and ideologies of mobility?

"Over the last two decades, the conceptualisation and empirical analysis of mobilities of people, objects and symbols has become an important strand of social science. Yet, the increasing importance of mobilities in all parts of the social does not only happen as observable practices in the material world but also takes place against the background of changing discourses, scientific theories and conceptualisations and knowledge. Within the formation of these mobilities discourses, the social sciences constitute a relevant actor."

'An in-depth examination of how discourse constitutes mobilities is long overdue, and this book fills that gap in mobilities scholarship in an evocative and convincing manner. It is a must-read for scholars and students seeking to understand the power of movement and circulation across space and time.' Tim Schwanen, University of Oxford, UK 'Marcel Endres, Katharina Manderscheid and Christophe Mincke's book tackles the ideological dimension of mobility - far too often overlooked - with great finesse. It is an essential contribution to current debates in the social sciences on the role and importance of mobility in social relations.' Vincent Kaufmann, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland