The Time of Materiality
While time and space form a classic duality in social science, this article demonstrates a perspective on time, space and materiality as a core trinity. As a prominent figure in contemporary discussions on materiality in the social sciences Science and Technology Studies (STS) emphasizes relational...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
| Published: |
FQS
2007-01-01
|
| Series: | Forum: Qualitative Social Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/207 |
| _version_ | 1818482079246057472 |
|---|---|
| author | Estrid Sørensen |
| author_facet | Estrid Sørensen |
| author_sort | Estrid Sørensen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | While time and space form a classic duality in social science, this article demonstrates a perspective on time, space and materiality as a core trinity. As a prominent figure in contemporary discussions on materiality in the social sciences Science and Technology Studies (STS) emphasizes relational approaches. STS however lacks a clear relational definition of materiality and tends instead to focus on the agency of entities, on for instance material agency. The article suggests a relational definition of materiality and notes that this move implies turning the question of the time of materiality into an empirical question. It is argued that relational materiality must be studied spatially, and thus a spatial approach describing patterns of relations is presented. Based on field work in a primary school classroom and computer lab, three materials are analyzed: the blackboard, a bed-loft and an online 3D virtual environment. The empirical descriptions depict three different materialities, and it is shown how time is formed differently in each of them. Time, it is argued, is an emergent and characterizing aspect of materialities as spatial formations. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs070122 |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T11:43:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1be68c43d96e482cb4e1b6f3a658721d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1438-5627 |
| language | deu |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T11:43:25Z |
| publishDate | 2007-01-01 |
| publisher | FQS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forum: Qualitative Social Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-1be68c43d96e482cb4e1b6f3a658721d2022-12-22T01:50:10ZdeuFQSForum: Qualitative Social Research1438-56272007-01-0181206The Time of MaterialityEstrid Sørensen0Ruhr-Universität BochumWhile time and space form a classic duality in social science, this article demonstrates a perspective on time, space and materiality as a core trinity. As a prominent figure in contemporary discussions on materiality in the social sciences Science and Technology Studies (STS) emphasizes relational approaches. STS however lacks a clear relational definition of materiality and tends instead to focus on the agency of entities, on for instance material agency. The article suggests a relational definition of materiality and notes that this move implies turning the question of the time of materiality into an empirical question. It is argued that relational materiality must be studied spatially, and thus a spatial approach describing patterns of relations is presented. Based on field work in a primary school classroom and computer lab, three materials are analyzed: the blackboard, a bed-loft and an online 3D virtual environment. The empirical descriptions depict three different materialities, and it is shown how time is formed differently in each of them. Time, it is argued, is an emergent and characterizing aspect of materialities as spatial formations. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs070122http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/207materialitytimespatial analysisSTSactor-network theorylearning technologyprimary school |
| spellingShingle | Estrid Sørensen The Time of Materiality Forum: Qualitative Social Research materiality time spatial analysis STS actor-network theory learning technology primary school |
| title | The Time of Materiality |
| title_full | The Time of Materiality |
| title_fullStr | The Time of Materiality |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Time of Materiality |
| title_short | The Time of Materiality |
| title_sort | time of materiality |
| topic | materiality time spatial analysis STS actor-network theory learning technology primary school |
| url | http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/207 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT estridsørensen thetimeofmateriality AT estridsørensen timeofmateriality |