Mobilities and the Geographicity of Law. Lessons for Japan

The notion «mobility regimes» is helpful in order to study the differential regulations of mobilities. It allows us answering the question of unequal power relations that structure the different modes of mobilities, some being encouraged and others forbidden, regulated, criminalised. It inserts itself in the domain of « legal geography » on the one hand, and, on the other, in the « spatial turn » of legal studies. From a contemporary geographical perspective, the geographicity of law is at stake. My lecture will evolve around three elements. First, I will present legal geography as a missing link in theoretical geography. Then, the concept of mobility regime is developed as a regulation that articulates multiple scales and domains. Finally, the example of the 2018 Berlin mobility law is employed to show how law operates a «mobilities turn». The detailed analysis is based on the hypothesis of a radical change in the politics of mobilities allowing for new modes of inhabiting the city.

This seminar is meant to bring a perspective on tourism, mobility and migration policies at a global level, and it will thus try to draw lessons for Japan, a country that is bound to receive more foreign visitors and foreign workers in the near future.

Mathis Stock is Professor of Tourism Geography at the University of Lausanne, Institute of Geography and Sustainability. His work focuses on tourist practices in a context of widespread mobilities and on cities as tourist places, as well as resort development. His main research question asks about the differentiated ways people inhabit mobilities and places. He has extensively worked on original concepts such as multilocality and multilocal dwelling in particular.