The Canadian Centre for German and European Studies (CCGES) is organizing three panels on issues related to automobility. These panels will raise socially, economically, technologically and politically important issues around the car, its production, use and culture.
The series organizers Prof. Roger Keil (Director, CITY Institute) and Prof. Bernard Wolf (Schulich School of Business), both CCGES faculty affiliates suggest that European and North American societies of the 20th century arguably were transformed and marked by the automobile more than by any other commodity. The car is the chief artifcat of industrial society, at the centre of transportation in our cities, at the core of household mobility and financial decision-making, the most iconic symbol of modern life, and a lightning rod for environmental critique.
Peter McIsaac, Director of CCGES, notes, “We’re extremely excited by the “Automobility” series as we believe that CCGES is well positioned to look at this important theme from a variety of angles. Through the expertise of scholars from the Centre, York and the broader community, I expect that we’ll be able to approach these topics in unusual and productive ways.”
The first event in the series carries the title “Technological Futures: Automobility and Beyond” and will take place on Monday, November 29th from 5-7 pm on the 7th floor of the York Research Tower (building #95 on the map here). The panel willbe moderated by Prof. Bernard Wolf and feature:
- Christian Feilmeier, Vice-President, Finance & Administration, BMW Canada
- Steven Logan, PhD Student, Communication and Culture, York University
- Robert Latham, Director, York Centre for International and Security Studies,
- Christopher Hume, Architecture Critic / Urban Issues Columnist, The Toronto Star
While technological change is a constant in the development and production of automobiles themselves, the revolutions and convulsions that surround the car are not restricted solely to the machine itself but now extend to the way we build cities and move people around. BMW, like other companies, is searching for ways to tie their vehicles into intelligent networks of traffic guidance which are intended to reduce inefficiencies in the system, save energy and lower the number of accidents. As citizens around the world witness shifts in car culture and weigh interventions such as toll roads in municipal areas as a way of reducing congestion, angry drivers see any attempt to lure them out of their cars as an assault on their entitlements as “free citizens”. In the recent Toronto mayoral election, the slogan “stop the war on the car” got remarkable traction. This panel will consider the impacts which technological change is having on the auto industry and how we use and consider its products.
This event is open to all and light refreshments will be served.
Attendees are asked to register in advance at ccges@yorku.ca
