Mitrofanova A.V., Ryazanova S.V. Materiality of Time: The Politics of Temporal Groups. Vek globalizatsii = Age of Globalization. 2025. No. 3. Pp. 145–154.

Текст статьи на сайте журнала URL: https://www.socionauki.ru/journal/articles/4003352/ (дата обращения 13.12.2025)

Abstract

This article introduces analytical tools for identifying the mechanisms and markers of political control over time. The concept of Zeitschaft captures the presence or absence of material elements (objects or temporally conditioned practices) in the landscape that embody socially constructed notions of time, as shaped by power dynamics. The authors argue that Zeitschaft encompasses not only historical memory but also social visions of the present and future, whether dominant or alternative. The characteristics of specific Zeitschafts are determined by temporal regimes or structures that determine a general orientation toward the past, present, or future. The authors consider temporal groups formed according to the principle of time preferences (for example, permanent residents and newcomers) as creators of the zeitschaft. Drawing on empirical case studies from Russian cities – particularly those with “difficult heritage” – the analysis illustrates futuristic, passéistic, and presentist Zeitschafts. Rather than promoting new political realities, the proposed framework re-examines familiar phenomena through a temporal lens.