عن المجلة
Indian Mobility History Review: A Journal of Railways, Migration, and Movement
IMHR is a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to understanding how movement of people, labour, and infrastructure — has shaped South Asia in the modern period. Covering India, Pakistan, and the wider region from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, the journal traces how mobility has been one of the defining forces of South Asian social, economic, and political life: from the construction of colonial railway networks to indentured and internal labour migration, from Partition-era displacement to the everyday rhythms of urban commuting in contemporary cities.
The journal brings together historians, researchers, and students working at the intersection of transport history, migration studies, labour history, and urban studies. We publish original research articles, archival notes, and book reviews that combine rigorous scholarship with accessible writing, making this history legible to both specialists and a wider readership.
Why This Matters: Railways and migration are usually studied separately — one as infrastructure history, the other as social history. This journal exists on the premise that they are deeply connected: railways did not merely move goods, they moved people, and in doing so reshaped labour markets, family structures, urban growth, and regional identity across the subcontinent. Partition itself was, among other things, a mobility event, and the region's post-independence histories — in India, Pakistan, and beyond — remain shaped by movement across and within its borders.
The journal welcomes submissions on:
- Colonial and post-colonial railway history in South Asia
- Labour and indentured migration (internal and overseas)
- Partition-era displacement and refugee history
- Urban migration, commuting, and city growth
- Transport infrastructure and policy history
- Mobility and identity, caste, gender, or religion
