The chronopolitan ideal: Time, belonging and globalization

Journal/Book: Time Soc. 2000; 9: 6 Bonhill Street, London EC2a 4Pu, England. Sage Publications Ltd. 331-345.

Abstract: Cosmopolitanism has reappeared strongly in contemporary social, cultural and political theory, usually referring to a realignment of cultural or political forms of attachment and belonging, or to the urgent need to reform the political foundations of international society. There is, however, a strong spatial bias in ongoing reconstructions of cosmopolitanism. One result of this is that the critical edge of cosmopolitan ideas is dissolved in the multiplication of superficial global identities and, especially, in a reified and ahistorical global present. As an alternative, this research note suggests the concept of chronopolitanism, which is developed as a theoretical as well as an ethical opening that reconfigures the search for a world political community in time and history. It is a move that has the explicit aim of extending social and political responsibilities to past, present, and future generations, as well as to the diversity of histories and rhythms of life that coexist in the global present.

Note: Article Cwerner SB, Univ Lancaster, Dept Sociol, Lancaster LA1 4YR, ENGLAND

Keyword(s): chronopolitanism; cosmopolitanism; global present; redemption; time; COSMOPOLITAN

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