抄録
Amid the accelerating processes of globalization, informatization, and networkization, the social sciences are undergoing a profound transformation from “sedentarism” to the “mobility turn.” This paper systematically reviews the evolution of mobility and flow theories, tracing their intellectual genealogy and logical development from classical spatiotemporal theories to the “new mobilities paradigm.” It highlights the foundational contributions of Harvey’s “time–space compression,” Lefebvre’s “production of space,” Bauman’s “liquid modernity,” and Castells’ “space of flows” to understanding the dynamic structures of modern society. Furthermore, the paper explores the multidimensional mechanisms through which mobility reconstructs social space, including urban and regional reorganization driven by physical mobility, spatial disembedding and re-embedding triggered by virtual mobility, and the reshaping of global production networks and social relations through capital and information flows. It also critically examines issues of power differentials and social inequalities embedded in mobility, advancing the theoretical proposition of “mobility justice.” Finally, the paper outlines future research directions, such as the social impacts of intelligent mobility and virtual presence, post-human mobility theories, integrative approaches combining qualitative and big-data methods, and mobility-oriented strategies for urban planning and governance. Overall, this review aims to elucidate the central role of mobility–flow theory in interpreting contemporary social–spatial transformation and to provide a theoretical foundation for developing an interdisciplinary and systematic framework for mobility studies.
