Fractals for an ethnography of time and addiction: Recursive and self-similar temporalities in heroin and poly-substance use
Drawing on both mathematical and anthropological understandings of fractality, this paper explores alternative perspectives of time as it relates to heroin addiction and poly-substance use in Scotland. The paper ethnographically illustrates temporalities which confound typical conceptualizations of...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-02-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1116142/full |
| _version_ | 1797935074296987648 |
|---|---|
| author | Laura Roe Sonja Dobroski Gabriela Manley Holly Warner Heidi Dritschel Alexander Mario Baldacchino |
| author_facet | Laura Roe Sonja Dobroski Gabriela Manley Holly Warner Heidi Dritschel Alexander Mario Baldacchino |
| author_sort | Laura Roe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Drawing on both mathematical and anthropological understandings of fractality, this paper explores alternative perspectives of time as it relates to heroin addiction and poly-substance use in Scotland. The paper ethnographically illustrates temporalities which confound typical conceptualizations of linearity, and which can be better understood as fractal. Senses of linear time are disrupted for people who use heroin through intensive poly-substance use, an increasing trend in Scotland, as both time and memory become fragmented beyond coherence or re-assemblage. Distortedness and complexity being common descriptors applied to mathematical fractals, time shattered into uncountable and un-interpretable fragments similarly connotes fracture, dissonance, and distortion. A meaningful engagement with fractal theory contains the potential to open up new vocabulary, imagery, and theoretical avenues with which to grasp complex and non-linear time experience. The aims of the paper are, therefore, twofold; to both provide a nuanced ethnographic exploration of substance use time, and to develop a reflexive analytical framework for temporal experience through fractals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T18:08:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e19290bc8b75440299ed46f19dcfdf31 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T18:08:44Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-e19290bc8b75440299ed46f19dcfdf312023-02-02T12:06:13ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402023-02-011410.3389/fpsyt.2023.11161421116142Fractals for an ethnography of time and addiction: Recursive and self-similar temporalities in heroin and poly-substance useLaura Roe0Sonja Dobroski1Gabriela Manley2Holly Warner3Heidi Dritschel4Alexander Mario Baldacchino5Department of Social Anthropology, School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United KingdomDepartment of Social Anthropology, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United KingdomDepartment of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Health, Durham University, Durham, United KingdomEdinburgh Futures Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United KingdomSchool of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United KingdomSchool of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United KingdomDrawing on both mathematical and anthropological understandings of fractality, this paper explores alternative perspectives of time as it relates to heroin addiction and poly-substance use in Scotland. The paper ethnographically illustrates temporalities which confound typical conceptualizations of linearity, and which can be better understood as fractal. Senses of linear time are disrupted for people who use heroin through intensive poly-substance use, an increasing trend in Scotland, as both time and memory become fragmented beyond coherence or re-assemblage. Distortedness and complexity being common descriptors applied to mathematical fractals, time shattered into uncountable and un-interpretable fragments similarly connotes fracture, dissonance, and distortion. A meaningful engagement with fractal theory contains the potential to open up new vocabulary, imagery, and theoretical avenues with which to grasp complex and non-linear time experience. The aims of the paper are, therefore, twofold; to both provide a nuanced ethnographic exploration of substance use time, and to develop a reflexive analytical framework for temporal experience through fractals.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1116142/fulladdictionsubstance usepoly-substance usetimetemporalityfractal |
| spellingShingle | Laura Roe Sonja Dobroski Gabriela Manley Holly Warner Heidi Dritschel Alexander Mario Baldacchino Fractals for an ethnography of time and addiction: Recursive and self-similar temporalities in heroin and poly-substance use Frontiers in Psychiatry addiction substance use poly-substance use time temporality fractal |
| title | Fractals for an ethnography of time and addiction: Recursive and self-similar temporalities in heroin and poly-substance use |
| title_full | Fractals for an ethnography of time and addiction: Recursive and self-similar temporalities in heroin and poly-substance use |
| title_fullStr | Fractals for an ethnography of time and addiction: Recursive and self-similar temporalities in heroin and poly-substance use |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fractals for an ethnography of time and addiction: Recursive and self-similar temporalities in heroin and poly-substance use |
| title_short | Fractals for an ethnography of time and addiction: Recursive and self-similar temporalities in heroin and poly-substance use |
| title_sort | fractals for an ethnography of time and addiction recursive and self similar temporalities in heroin and poly substance use |
| topic | addiction substance use poly-substance use time temporality fractal |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1116142/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lauraroe fractalsforanethnographyoftimeandaddictionrecursiveandselfsimilartemporalitiesinheroinandpolysubstanceuse AT sonjadobroski fractalsforanethnographyoftimeandaddictionrecursiveandselfsimilartemporalitiesinheroinandpolysubstanceuse AT gabrielamanley fractalsforanethnographyoftimeandaddictionrecursiveandselfsimilartemporalitiesinheroinandpolysubstanceuse AT hollywarner fractalsforanethnographyoftimeandaddictionrecursiveandselfsimilartemporalitiesinheroinandpolysubstanceuse AT heididritschel fractalsforanethnographyoftimeandaddictionrecursiveandselfsimilartemporalitiesinheroinandpolysubstanceuse AT alexandermariobaldacchino fractalsforanethnographyoftimeandaddictionrecursiveandselfsimilartemporalitiesinheroinandpolysubstanceuse |