The book Postcolonial Aeromobilities: Branding, Cultural Governance, and Tourism Imageries (Routledge, 2025) is already available, co-edited by Bart Paul Vanspauwen (INET-md, NOVA FCSH) and Iñigo Sánchez-Fuarros (Institute of Heritage Sciences, INCIPIT-CSIC), who also sign its first chapter under the title “Navigating postcolonial aeromobilities: an introduction”.
This groundbreaking collection examines how national airlines in postcolonial states navigate the complex intersection of corporate branding, cultural governance, and national identity formation. The book conceptualizes airports and airlines as both physical infrastructure and symbolic spaces that embody aspirations of political sovereignty while connecting distant regions.
Key Features:
- Diverse case studies spanning 17 countries across multiple continents;
- Analysis of how airlines serve as vehicles for soft power and cultural diplomacy;
- Examination of the tension between local traditions and global modernity in aviation;
- Rich empirical examples from Angola to the United States of America.
The volume reveals how airlines employ sophisticated branding strategies to shape national and regional identities, while either reinforcing or challenging colonial legacies. By analyzing airlines as sites where business strategy, cultural policy, and identity politics converge, this collection offers fresh insights into how transportation infrastructure shapes social imaginaries in our interconnected world.