5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

How does time shape our sensory perceptions? How is knowledge constructed through temporal lenses? This session invites papers at the intersection of time, culture, and the senses, broadly conceptualized within diverse urban and non-urban contexts. We seek to explore how sensory experiences are configured by temporal rhythms within the everyday, drawing on the work of scholars like Henri Lefebvre and Nigel Thrift. The Anthropocene is characterized by an accelerating pace of life (Wajcman 2014), which profoundly impacts our affective experiences and emotional lives (Illouz 2007). Despite their significance, shifting temporalities and rhythms often remain underexplored in sociological analysis, even though they are intricately linked to the depth of sensory experiences. We are particularly interested in how everyday practices are shaped by and contribute to these temporal and sensory dynamics. Daily routines, habits, and rituals often reflect and reinforce our temporal understanding and sensory engagement with the world. By examining these practices, we can gain deeper insights into how time and sensory experiences are woven into the fabric of everyday life.

Potential themes include:

• Time and Sensory Experiences: How do 'linear' versus 'cyclical' perceptions of time affect sensory experiences?
• Everyday Practices and Temporal Rhythms: How do daily routines and rituals influence our perception of time and sensory engagement across different cultural and environmental contexts?
• Time, Emotion, and Embodiment: How do nostalgia and memory alter the experience of a place?
• Digitalization and Temporalities: How does digitalization influence our sense of time in our daily lives?
• Methodologies for Studying Temporalities and Senses