Time geography

The time geography concerned with the spatial and temporal framework of action of individuals. It is a branch of human geography, but also touches on the sociology.

History of the discipline

As the founder of Time Geography is generally the Swedish geographer Torsten beach Haeger, who worked at the University of Lund. According to many publications, most of them in the Swedish language, appeared in 1970 his seminal article entitled " What about people in regional science? ", Which summarizes the basic assumptions of his approach. In subsequent years, the time geography of Haeger beach and its employees ( Törnquist, Lenntorp, Ellegård, Mårtensson and others) was terminologically and conceptually developed and later termed " Lund school". The aim of the classical time geography was to get on the analysis of the spatio-temporal behavior of individuals to a comprehensive theory of society: " I am looking for a way of finding conceptual coherence in the geographer 's understanding of the human world all the way from home to globe and from day to lifetime ". Later, the findings of time geography were also received in sociology, particularly in the structuration theory of Anthony Giddens: "The time geography is concerned with the constraints which impact on the design of the routines of daily life, and shares with the theory of structuring the emphasizing the importance of the practical nature of daily activities under conditions of co-presence for the constitution of social behavior ". Giddens understands space and time, in contrast to the majority of sociological approaches not only as boundary conditions of action, but as a central order dimensions of society.

Basic concept of time geography

Due to the fact that every person is at any time of his life in exactly one place, both spatial and temporal coordinates for every single individual can specify and mapped out using a three-dimensional cartographic representation. In this display type, the time is also projected to two spatial dimensions as the third dimension, so that movement of people in space and time can be plotted as lines in three-dimensional space ("time path" or " time path "). Depending on the temporal scale, such spatio-temporal movements of individuals throughout their lives ( "life path") or even during one week or one day be mapped ( "week path" or "day path"). The possibilities of the individual as it moves through space and time are focused on the implementation of so-called " projects ", where a proposed draft of the action is based. Here, the reaction of ( mental ) is limited to designs ( actual ) projects by various constraints, which are called " constraints": First, these are physical-material factors that after about by the indivisibility of the human body as well as by the natural need sleep are due, or that are dependent on the availability of suitable transport ( " capability constraints" ). Second, there are social needs to reside at a particular time in a particular place ( "coupling constraints" ). Third, there are hegemonic regulations of accessibilities to certain places, such as Denial of entry or opening time arrangements ( "authority constraints" ). " Constraints" can therefore be interpreted as space-time institutional framing of the action possibilities of the individual.

Capability constraints

Capability constraints limit the activities of the individual in response to biological needs and the available resources and the resulting possibilities for spatial mobility. Everyday necessities such as the need for sleep or the ingestion of food scarce the amount of time that can in principle be used for other activities. For example, to sleep usually because one's own home must be visited, there is a maximum achievable spatial distance of travel per day. This varies considerably depending on the available transport. Through the development of transport, the maximum achievable distance could be increased continuously over the last two centuries, but this did not lead to a fundamental resolution of the operating principle of capability constraints. Thus, with the aircraft, although in a few hours' journey another continent achieve that remains inaccessible to the traveler, however, between the space of start and destination point lying.

Coupling Constraints

In addition to the " capability constraints" in particular limit the "coupling constraints" everyday time path of the individual. This form of " constraints " includes, when, where and how long a person to interact with others in space and time has. In general, the coupling constraints are a function of role models and expectations of other persons in the design of these roles. Thus, as for the workers the need for attendance at work ( compulsory attendance ) to certain contractual usually times, and it is set in space and time especially on the occasion of meetings. Much is expected of students and teachers that they are staying during class time in the classroom. As further examples, the shopping of goods presupposes a co-presence of sellers and buyers during shop opening times, agencies and public bodies are accessible so only in certain time windows. Moreover, there exists a variety of non- legally regulated, but normatively specific and thus sanktionsbekräftigter role expectations that the individual space-time attendance regulations impose. This can be about family obligations that are in context with tasks of home and family work, or recreational events that have been agreed with others.

"Coupling constraints" are directed to the coincidence of the time paths of different people. This spatio-temporal convergence of individual time paths referred Haeger beach as a "bundle ". A special form of " bundles " are supported by telecommunications and thus space- bridging interactions that no spatial but very probably require a temporal co-presence: " Telecommunication Allows people to form bundles without (or nearly without ) loss of time in transportation. [ ... ] It is true did a call june save much time, Especially When It Concerns the arrangement of future meetings. But at the sametime, it is an outstanding instrument for breaking other activities ". The time savings, resulting from telecommunications equipment, one focuses solely on the time saved that would have to be expended in the case of personal contacts for spatial mobility, but not on contact time as such. At least not if the use of new communication technologies and the contact frequency is increased or - Against this background to allow newer, Internet-based forms of communication such as messenger systems or online chats that often find to maintain social contacts rather than personal meetings use, not necessarily a time saver but arise with the "virtual" communication from the elimination of facial expressions and gestures new understanding barriers that need to be made ​​up for by an additional term use.

Authority constraints

With the description of the space-time prism of the individual in the form of capability constraints, the outer limits of the maximum achievable space are determined. These external borders are further limited by the social or contractual obligations reglemetierten presence at certain times in certain places in the form of the coupling constraints. In addition to these outer limits of access, however, the motion of the individual is restricted by additional barriers, which are within the prism, and are referred to as a beach Haeger of "authority constraints". Agent authority constraints protected areas are called "domains ". This non-public places are protected by the use of power and therefore infinitely accessible for each individual. Purpose of domains is primarily the protection against access to resources ( not authorized to do ) any third party.

While smaller domains are often maintained only temporarily and defended on direct forms of confrontation with competitors (about the place in a queue, a telephone booth, a armchair in the cinema, or a deckchair on the beach ), are larger private domains usually by legality, (or for example, land use rights, property rights to land, house right in the rented apartment, etc.). In addition, authority constraints also indicate grant access to premises with certain social groups, however, exclude other groups. So most companies are only accessible for their employees, and nation-states regulate access to its territory for non- members of the nation concerned. It follows that domains are arranged hierarchically: Thus, access to a state does not yet permit entry to any premises of any company, and not everyone gets the access to the company, also passes readily into the office of the CEO. In addition is obvious that control over domains with normative behavioral expectations associated to the individuals who reside within the domain; while the behavioral expectations of the surrounding domain to the in her contained (sub) domains are inherited: "Those who have access to power in a superior domain frequently use this to restrict the set of possible actions Which are permitted inside subordinate domains. Sometimes They can thus oblige the subordinate domains to remove constraints or to arrange for certain activities against Their will. "