Temporality and Social Experience in Anthropological Studies
Summary
Temporality in anthropology encompasses the ways in which human communities construct, perceive and navigate time as an integral dimension of social life. Far from being a uniform metric, time is experienced through cultural rhythms, life-course events, ritual cycles and communal histories that shape collective identity and future expectations. Anthropological inquiry has shown how temporal regimes—ranging from event-based reckonings among indigenous groups to linear clock time in industrial societies—inform patterns of labour, memory, kinship and personhood. The study of past and future imaginaries reveals how societies negotiate continuity and change, whether through ceremonial reenactment of mythical origins or strategic planning in contexts of rapid globalisation. Attention to co-temporality highlights how multiple temporal frameworks coexist within a single milieu, producing forms of temporal inequality and negotiation. Across diverse settings—from urban marketplaces to remote villages—research demonstrates that temporal structures are neither neutral nor fixed but are enacted through power relations, material practices and embodied experience. Understanding these dynamics provides insight into pressing issues such as ageing, migration, crisis response and environmental stewardship, emphasising the global significance of temporal analysis for both theory and policy.
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Temporality and Social Experience in Anthropological Studies publication trend
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Technical terms
Temporality: The socially constructed experience and organisation of time within a culture.
Temporal regime: A coherent system of time measurement and practice that structures daily life and social institutions.
Event-based time: Time reckoned by salient occurrences or natural cycles rather than fixed units like hours or days.
Co-temporality: The coexistence of multiple temporal frameworks or paces within a single social field.
Heterochrony: The varied temporal rhythms that differentiate social groups or activities within the same society.
Synchronicity: The alignment of disparate temporalities to enable coordinated action or shared experience.
Liminality: A transitional temporal state, often associated with ritual, in which normal social structures are suspended.
References
- Event-Based Time in Three Indigenous Amazonian and Xinguan Cultures and Languages. Frontiers in Psychology (2019).
- Teaching Anthropology at 'Crisis' Times at the Greek Borders: Emergency Temporalities Entering the Classroom during the Refugee Crisis in Lesbos. Teaching Anthropology (2022).
- The western and non-western dichotomization of time in anthropology. International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology (2023).
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