Anthropology of Time

£41.99

Anthropology of Time

Cultural Constructions of Temporal Maps and Images

Anthropology

Author: Alfred Gell

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Collection: Explorations in Anthropology

Language: English

Published by: Routledge

Published on: 10th March 2021

Format: LCP-protected ePub

Size: 3 Mb

ISBN: 9781000323283


Time and Human Perception

Time - relentless, ever-present but intangible and the single element over which human beings have no absolute control - has long proved a puzzle. The author examines the phenomenon of time and asks such fascinating questions as how time impinges on people, to what extent our awareness of time is culturally conditioned, how societies deal with temporal problems and whether time can be considered a resource to be economized.

Theoretical Perspectives on Time

More specifically, he provides a consistent and detailed analysis of theories put forward by a number of thinkers such as Durkheim, Evans-Pritchard, Lévi-Strauss, Geertz, Piaget, Husserl and Bourdieu. His discussion encompasses four main approaches in time research, namely developmental psychology, symbolic anthropology (covering the bulk of post-Durkheimian social anthropology), economic theories of time in social geography and, finally, phenomenological theories.

Conclusion and Model

The author concludes by presenting his own model of social/cognitive time, in the light of these critical discussions of the literature.

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