Multiple Island Temporalities

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore the notion of “island time” as a metaphor for addressing the multiple island temporalities emerging in the community of Sali, the biggest settlement on the southern shore of Dugi otok. In general, temporalities are conceived as the mode and the rhythm of being, entangled within the thick web of social, cultural, spatial, economic, gendered, and ideological transformations. The concept of “multiple temporalities”, inspired by the time studies and the anthropology of thime theoretical framework, points to the processes of diverse temporal frames and rhythms overlapping, intertwining, and coexisting. The focus of this paper is on the emergence of linčarnica, a triangular slope in the port of Sali. Based on ethnographic research, the paper will address the problems involved in the social and cultural creation of “island time”, popularly known as time moving at a slower pace. By problematising the concept of temporality at the crossroads of Mediterranean studies, island studies, time studies, and Balkan studies, the paper will address questions of specific, island-triggered, and socially performed atmospheric “island time” rebranded for the purpose of tourism and imagined within the specific cultural and social milieu of Dalmatia.

Taking Time to Know the Island: Multiple temporalities and changing mobilities on Dugi Otok, Croatia

“…The concepts of 'being late' or 'being on time' are relative phenomena, as they are grounded in historically rooted, socially accepted and culturally sustained local usages of time (cf. Oroz, 2022). The concept of time on the islands is shaped and deeply ingrained by a pomalo, or 'take it easy', attitude that serves as a cultural countermeasure to the ups and downs of island life situated between the fast-paced lifestyle of the tourist season and the slow-paced months that follow.…”

“…The basic activities depended on meteorological conditions, the fishing season, lunar phases, the crop calendar and, in general, yearly agricultural activities. Therefore, lived experiences of time derived from natural rhythms and a traditional way of life (Oroz, 2022) in which temporal frames were conditioned by the natural seasonal rhythms that structured daily existence (cf. Eriksen, 2001, pp.…”

“…They simultaneously rely on the asymmetrical power relations that underlie allochronism 2 while also introducing diverse new temporal rhythms and whirls of time. We have decided to adopt this theoretical approach and understanding of island time based on the results of our previous research (e.g., Čuka, 2011;Čuka & Faričić, 2020;Čuka et al, 2020a;Oroz, 2020;Oroz, 2022) and by focusing on the experiences of islanders -their comings and goings from the island, as well as their definitions of isolation, mobilities, proximity and remoteness. The temporalities that emerge in this context to shape the lives of islanders are understood as empowering, as they can help us "decentre notions of the static island and instead emphasise mobile, multiple, and interconnected relational forms" (Pugh, 2018, p. 94).…”

“…This, in turn, reflects the gender-based usage of time and the structure of island temporalities (cf. Oroz, 2022). As a result, questions related to jobs in industry have been crucial for finding out about the life rhythm of the islanders and to better understand the influence of industry to the development of the island.…”

“…Babić, Lajić & Podgorelec, 2004) that were not nearly as accessible by local roads from the factory. According to our interlocutors, the notion of time radically changed when the factory was opened, while the changes it made only intensified in the second half of the 20th century via the development of tourism (Oroz, 2022). All these changes contributed to a significant disparity in socio-demographic development between the two parts of the island, ultimately giving rise to multiple temporalities and resulting in the perception of a single island as two separate entities:…”