Time, Space, and Society

Time and space are two of the most basic dimensions of human life. They envelop all human beings from birth to death. As such, they provide the context for human existence. At the same time, however, time and space also serve as major influencing factors in mankind's actions. Hence, a vast literature has developed on time and space as separate dimensions, and recently on time-space as joint dimensions. Interestingly enough, the social connotations of time and space have mostly been studied with the individual human being in mind. The more societal significance of time and space, whether separately or jointly, have been relatively neglected. It is the purpose of this volume to help fill this lacuna through discussions on some of the many junctions of time, space, and society at large. The discussion will naturally involve concepts and findings from more than just one discipline -- notably, geography, sociology, social history and political science. It is, thus, obvious that the topic may be highlighted from several perspectives. Given my own education and work, the approach will lean more to the geographical perspective. Geography has a special merit as an integrating framework for the study of time, space, and society. It is a discipline that has space at the center of its raison d'etre and, as such, has always striven for integration, holism and comprehensiveness.

Contenu

1: Individual and Societal Time And Space.- Time and space: context and composition.- Structuration and geography.- Individual and societal time.- Individual and societal space.- Summary and conclusion.- 2: Time-Space Homology: Societal - Geographical Perspective.- Approaches to time-space at the societal level.- Time-space and urban studies.- Giddens' approach to societal time-space.- Time, space, and society at the urban level.- The three time-space homologues.- Timing/spacing.- Temporality/spatiality.- Temporalization/spatialization.- Conclusion.- 3: Time Versus Space in Modern Urban Societies.- From time to time.- From space to space.- Temporality versus spatiality.- Transportation and telecommunications.- Temporalization and spatialization in urban society.- Time-spacing, planning, and technology.- Conclusion.- 4: Time and Space: Man and Woman.- Transitions in the status of females and the family status under capitalism.- Temporality and women's status.- Women's inner temporality.- Spatiality and women's status.- Women's inner spatiality.- Male versus female temporality and spatiality.- Spatiality, temporality, and the suburbanized city.- Summary.- 5: Temporality and Spatiality in Israeli Society: Characteristics in Transition.- Judaic temporality.- Judaic spatiality.- Judaic temporality and spatiality: a summary.- Temporality and spatiality in Israeli society: general trends.- Spatiality in pioneering Israeli society.- Temporality in pioneering Israeli society.- Temporality and spatiality in modern Israel.- Temporality in modern Israeli society.- Spatiality in modern Israeli society.- Conclusion.- Summary.- A typology for time and space.- Comments on the meanings and significance of time and space.- Structuration and societal time and space.- References.