Problem
Temporal imperialism
Other Names:
Imposition of exogenous time standards Nature:
Western-dominated industrialization has resulted in the imposition on developing countries of time standards, patterns of scheduling, and work rhythms which are foreign to the traditional rhythms of those cultures. In such cultures time awareness is not cued to mechanical clock time or a well-defined concept of efficiency. As a result people may experience difficulty in adjusting to other rhythms and may experience them as damaging to their culture and life-style. Incidence:
Before the dissolution of the former Soviet Union, the railway system in the USSR crossed seven time zones, but it was always Moscow time inside a train or railway station. Broader Problems:
Cultural repression Narrower Problems:
Undue haste Aggravates:
UnpunctualitySense of impermanenceIncreasing pace of lifeSleep-wake schedule disorderTemporal dissonance among cultures Reduced By:
Inadequate sense of timeStrategies:
Increasing time sovereigntyProtecting temporal wildernessReducing imperialismImposing time standards Values:
ImperialismImposition Subject(s):
Fundamental Sciences → FormResearch, Standards → Standards
Cybernetics → Cybernetics
Problem Type:
F: Fuzzy exceptional problems Date of last update
21.02.1997 – 00:00 CET