Aerial Life - 9781405182614

'Peter Adey is a clear, strong, inventive, unique voice in human geography. In Aerial Life, he brings together a fascinating set of theoretical concerns and empirical cases in his inimitable style, with a gravity of purpose and a lightness of touch that make for an incredibly rich book.'-Mark B. Salter, University of Ottawa

'By extending critical human geography to the complex verticalities of airspace, Peter Adey offers a vitally important riposte to the long neglect of aerial cultural politics in the social sciences. Aerial Life is a brilliant tour de force. Incisive, comprehensive, fresh and, above all, topical ù this is the book which can guide us as we address the geographies of the aerial.'-Stephen Graham, Newcastle University

Our lives are supported and carried by the aeroplane, but they are also haunted and threatened by it. This theoretically informed research explores what the development and transformation of air travel have meant for societies, individuals and the status of human life itself. Author Peter Adey reveals the complex politics of this 'aereality', positioning it at the critical apex of political, cultural and social relations.

Through a series of detailed international case studies, Adey traces the history of aviation over the past century, showing how the early promises of flight, symbolized and performed in the spectacular airshows at Hendon and Rheims, evolved into the devastating bombing campaigns of the Second World War and the rise of international terrorism. Along the way, we are shown how aerial mobilities may transform societies and subjects, shape individual rights and identities, and alter the very workings of the human body. Soaring beyond the concept of air travel as a metaphorical tool, Aerial Life offers startling historical evidence and bold new ideas about how the social and material spaces of the aeroplane are considered in the modern era.