The temporal gaze: the challenge for social theory in the context of GM food

Abstract

The temporal gaze in socio-environmental theory can take many forms. Time may be added to existing approaches without disturbing the status quo of theor y and methodology. Alternatively, focus may be on the time-space of socio-environmental existence or typologies constructed of the complexity of socio-environmental time. Finally, phenomena, processes and events may be conceptualized as timescapes. Through the focus on genetic modi cation of foods, the paper demonstrates the pertinence of this timescape perspective for social theor y and socio-environmental analyses. A thorough-going temporal gaze is important because a) such reconceptualization forms an integral part of rethinking the social sciences' relationship to nature and environmental matters; b) the implications at the level of theor y tend to be glossed over and ignored; and c) it is central to changing practice at the level of public and personal action. The paper thus uses a timescape perspective to set out substantive and conceptual issues that present some of social theory's challenges for the new millennium.

Addressing the temporal fit of institutions: the regulation of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in Europe

“…However, few studies to date have specified the interactions between temporal features. We argue that utilizing the concept of timescape (Adam 1998(Adam , 2000(Adam , 2004B. Adam 2008, unpublished manuscript) constitutes a fruitful approach to studying these interactions.…”

“…The timescape thus becomes a collection of social, natural, and cultural times. However, the main focus of the timescape approach is not so much on pinpointing the ontology of time, but rather how time is used and how time affects the ways in which we deal with societal problems (Adam 2000 . Temporality -how?…”

“…In this paper we use the work on timescapes by Adam (1998Adam ( , 2000Adam ( , 2004B. Adam 2008, unpublished manuscript) to make sense of the numerous temporal dimensions of EDC governance.…”

“…Time can thus be conceptualized and interpreted in various ways depending on the observer. Referring to Barbara Adam's work on timescapes (Adam 1998(Adam , 2000(Adam , 2004B. Adam 2008, unpublished manuscript), our aim is to clarify the concept of temporal fit by diagnosing the multiple features of time and their implications for EDC governance.…”

Metapopulation perspective to institutional fit: maintenance of dynamic habitat networks

“…Pérez-Nordtvedt et al (2008) suggest the use of concepts of tempo and phase to characterize the length and timing of organizational and environmental cycles, such as cycles of technological improvement or governmental regulatory activities, to assess their temporal fit. Munck af Rosenschöld et al (2014) use a wider concept of timescapes from Adam (2000), which includes the study of spatiotemporal pattern, sequence, and time frame of organizational activities. Spatial and temporal fit have also been analyzed simultaneously (Cash et al 2006).…”