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TIME AND TRANSCENDENCE The corporeal conditions of time and social synchronisation Will Johncock TIME AND TRANSCENDENCE The corporeal conditions of time and social synchronisation Will Johncock $ thesis in fXl¿lment of the reTXirements for the deJree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences December 2013 Contents Acknowledgements iii Introduction: Body and Time (Space and Time) 1 PART I: From the “what” to the “who” of time 1. Objective Time: Transcending the human subject? 11 2. Subjective Time: Transcending the physical realm? 44 PART II: From the “who” to the “how” of time 3. Bodies Which Time: Incarnation as temporalisation 82 4. Social Time: The body always already knows the time 139 PART III: The monism of time 5. Distinguished Time(s): The coincidental nature of any time 188 Conclusion: Body is Time (Space is Time) 234 Bibliography 242 Time and Transcendence Acknowledgements iii Acknowledgements Structuralist and post-structuralist inquiries typically problematise the assumption that anything becomes or manifests separately and exclusively. In considering the writing of a PhD thesis, I could not agree more. This thesis, and its author, have emerged, and continue to emerge, in relation to “everyday” and academic co-constituents, from incidental conversations and morning swims, to the more structured developments one experiences whilst undertaking their Doctorate research. Nevertheless, despite this blurred sense of accompaniment, there are individuals whose contribution deserves specific attention. I thank my supervisor, Professor Vicki Kirby, for her generous supervision during my candidature. Whilst I was an undergraduate student, it was upon taking one of Vicki’s courses, a critical blend of post-structuralism and phenomenology, that what was philosophically and sociologically at stake in my inquiries became apparent; the notions of subjectivity and intersubjectivity. Vicki’s insights into the direction of my research and writing have contributed to the confidence with which this thesis presents its argument. Vicki is a mentor, a friend and an inspirational thinker. Her approach will inform all my future endeavours. As part of the review process, my co-supervisor, Dr. Melanie White, has perceptively brought my attention to certain, implicit themes of interrogation in my thesis. In particular, during the latter stages of my writing, I deferred to Melanie’s Bergsonian scholarship for guidance and advice. Melanie’s pleasant and yet rigorous delivery of critique has been appreciated both personally and academically. Considerable thanks also to Professor Andrew Metcalfe, Professor Ann Game, Dr. Mary Zournazi, Dr. Amanda Kearney, and once again, Dr. Melanie White, for providing me with teaching opportunities during my candidature. In an obvious regard, this has provided me with valuable experience in managing and leading critical inquiry between many voices. Also however, the onus that teaching puts upon oneself to be able to discuss concepts as clearly and directly as possible is something from which my writing has benefited. Time and Transcendence Acknowledgements iv Likewise deserving acknowledgement are my wonderful friends from the postgraduate research community in the UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Faculty, alongside whom I have worked, and whose presence in my life I hope will remain. Our regular conversations have provided invaluable respite from the apparent isolation with which a writing project such as this can seem to be imbued. I have had to thank most frequently for this, in alphabetical order, Emilie Auton, Ashley Barnwell, Lorraine Burdett, Dr. Florence Chiew, Jacqueline Dalziell, Rosemary Grey, Ele Jensen, Scott McBride, Yvette Selim, Brett Todd and Maia Watkinson. Furthermore in terms of the UNSW community, I must share my appreciation of my constantly supportive friend, Sonia Nitchell, for her flexibility concerning my office hours in her role as my work boss, as well as for generously reading through my final draft with her keen editorial eye. Moving beyond the university, I am indebted to one of my oldest and dearest friends, Kate Fennell, for being the artist responsible for the cover artwork and design that emphatically frames this thesis. I am humbled by the contribution of such a conceptually engaging print, as indeed I am by our friendship. Finally, my always caring, always entertaining parents deserve considerable thanks for their unwavering support of, and faith in, my studies, particularly during the last four Doctoral years. The passion with which I discuss my thesis topic has been the only justification they have ever required in order to agree that I was, and am, following an appropriate path. The importance of this cannot be overstated or more greatly appreciated, and means that they, as with all those mentioned here, are present in the developing self-perspective of this thesis, and of its author. Time and Transcendence Introduction 1 Introduction Body and Time (Space and Time) Time is everywhere, yet it eludes us. It is so deeply implicated in our existences that it is almost invisible. –– Barbara Adam, Time and Social Theory (1990:9) Why shouldn’t I kill time? Time will eventually kill me. –– Michael Flaherty, The Textures of Time (2011:134) Objectivity, space and transcendence Humans are bodied. Bodies change. Is such bodily change an unavoidable ramification, and corporeal representation, of the relentless power of time? If we believe that no human can escape time, and that time marks our inevitable/eventual transition to death, does this reflect that time is a pre-existing, objective mechanism into which humans are born, simply to live for a finite period under its jurisdiction? This sense of time emerges in writing this thesis. One is allocated a period to complete such an undertaking, engendering the impression of a race against an opponent. This speaks to our concern that time is “against us,” restricting our everyday endeavours, from career development to family commitments to catching the bus. Time looms large, yet there is rarely enough of it. Functional social systems are seemingly conditioned by something objectively regular about time, which is utilised in order to arrange and synchronise subjects and practices into dependable schedules. Once there is agreement about the representation of time on clocks and calendars, time’s presumed objectivity and regularity will dictate consensus as to when any subsequent time will arrive (even if there is disagreement concerning which clocks – and indeed which calendars – represent time “exactly”). That is, if a social system has agreed upon a particular representation of time which uses seconds, minutes and hours, subjects using Time and Transcendence Introduction 2 synchronised clocks within this system will agree about when it is 9:00 in the morning, and also about when 9:01 in the morning has subsequently arrived. Within any representational system, this regularity with which subsequent times occur seems to suggest something singular about time that is outside human interference. Time itself is presumed to sit behind the clocked and calendared representations it conditions, its inaccessibility to any human marking its objectivity for humans collectively. There are no representations of time more ubiquitous than international time zones, which function as measures of a singular, globally objective time-source to which the world collectively abides. This ensures global, human synchronisation, whereby as social time theorist Barbara Adam observes, “our social action can be internationally coordinated through a standardised network of time that spans the globe” (1995:21). Because of this global standardisation, “one hour of clock time is one hour wherever we are” (24). To reiterate, one hour of clock time is considered to have global consistency because of the assumption of an underlying, singular, objective temporality which conditions its representation(s). These opening observations have introduced the first of three concepts which will feature prominently in our considerations; objectivity. We will soon address two other key concepts; space, and transcendence. Let us now though define the first. The term “objective” will be employed in this thesis to describe what inescapably applies to all, incorporating, but never trumped by, what is individual or particular. Analogically, this is a common interpretation of law, which is arguably objective if it applies to entire populations by regulating and integrating all individual behaviour. The everyday assumption of time’s objectivity assumes that differing individual impressions of time are simply warped, subjective, contingent experiences of a singular, objective phenomenon, whose source or origin permanently pre-exists individual and social idiosyncrasies. This thesis will interrogate this assumption that the source of time is objectively separate and pre-exists spatialities such as embodied humans who are simply born into a time in which they live for a duration/period. If you believe you are beyond the pervasive influence of this sense of time’s inescapable objectivity, consider the following, typical morning scenario. Your alarm sounds at 7 o’clock, reminding you that your attendance is required at a meeting at 9 o’clock. However, you are still tired. Do you: Time and Transcendence Introduction 3 (i) control time’s rhythm to slow it down, allowing you to continue sleeping without being late? (ii) suppose that time’s rhythm is random, whereby even if you rise

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