11th INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOTORCYCLE STUDIES CONFERENCE
University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD
25–28 July, 2024
Details | Welcome | Programme | Keynotes | Schedule | Campus Map
Welcome & A Brief History of the Conference
Welcome to the 11th International Journal of Motorcycle Studies Conference (IJMSC). IJMS would like to thank the University of Nottingham and Professor Mathew Humphrey for hosting our annual conference.
For over a decade, scholarly motorcycle enthusiasts have gathered at academic conferences to discuss their passion for motorized two-wheeling. Nineteen years ago, board member emeritus Wendy Moon suggested the possibility of a journal that would enable motorcyclists worldwide to connect with one another and share their research, creative projects, and reviews. From its original publication in 2005, the journal has grown remarkably in substance and readership, attracting over 4000 hits each month from all over the globe.
In 2009, board member Katherine Sutherland suggested we consider holding our own conference that would focus solely on motorcycle studies. We fulfilled that aspiration in 2010 and 2012 in Colorado Springs, and in 2013, we realized our goal of meeting at a glamorous international destination: London, England. In 2014, we were welcomed back to the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS). In 2015, we ventured to Birmingham, Alabama, holding the conference at the world-famous Barber Motor Sports Museum. In 2016, we returned to London, England, thanks to Caryn Simonson at Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London. In 2017, we reconvened in Colorado Springs at UCCS. With an expansion farther west, in 2018, we held our annual conference at Chaffey College on the Rancho Cucamonga, California campus, where we enjoyed the sunshine and mountain views.
In 2019, the conference moved north to the Pacific Northwest for its 9th annual gathering. We were hosted by James Butler at Pacific University in Forest Grove, outside of Portland, Oregon, where sunshine met rain, and the air sang with the smell of fresh white oaks, Douglas fir, and giant sequoia. For 2020, the plan was to go back to the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, for our 10th anniversary. Alas, alack, the wheels stopped spinning, our motorcycles stopped, the world stopped, the pandemic. Last year we made it back to our humble beginnings at UCCS for our 10th annual conference. This time the conference was held at UCCS’s Downtown space, giving conference-goers an opportunity to walk to restaurants, a nearby motorcycle museum, and libationary establishments.
We would not be here without the support of a group of dedicated people and institutions. We are so excited to be in the United Kingdom and so near Sherwood Forest. And a huge thank you to Professor Mathew Humphrey for coordinating all the local logistics and details. Thanks to Lisa Garber for all her work in reviewing submissions to the conference. An additional thank you goes to Caryn Simonson for hosting the conference in years past and helping coordinate aspects of this year’s conference. A huge thank you to Alex Parsons-Hulse for finding and coordinating the keynotes. Many, many thanks go to Tim Fransen for his continued support as a designer, digital expert, and for keeping the IJMS website relevant, beautiful, and robust. Finally, IJMS would like to thank all the 2024 presenters, keynotes, and attendees, without you all – motorcycle scholars, enthusiasts, experts, and riders – IJMS would not exist.
IJMS’s Editorial Board encourages presenters to submit their scholarly articles post-conference. You will notice a recent publishing in IJMS of Suzanne Ferriss’s article “Vivre Vite”, which was first presented at the 2023 IJMS Conference in Colorado.
If you are interested in becoming involved as a board member or if you think you and your institution might be interested in hosting the conference, please reach out to one of the current board members (Sheila Malone, Caryn Simonson, or Tim Fransen).
We are excited to reunite with old friends and make new ones. We think you’ll find our group collegial, welcoming, and sometimes a bit too fun(ny). We look forward to our time together in the land of Merry Men, Merry Women, Merry Folk. Perhaps there will be a Robin Hood sighting – fingers crossed.
Sheila Malone
Managing Editor
International Journal of Motorcycle Studies