The Colonisation of Time: Ritual, Routine, and Resistance in the British Empire

Studies in Imperialism

by Giordano Nanni

Much has been written about time in Western society. But how did 'the rest' of the world come to share the West's dominant view of time? Who were the first emissaries of the culture of the clock? And, most importantly, by what means did they gain a following? The colonisation of time is a highly original and long overdue examination of the ways that western-European and specifically British concepts and rituals of time were imposed on other cultures as a fundamental component of colonisation during the nineteenth century. Based on a wealth of primary sources, and a comparative analysis of two British settler-colonies - Victoria, Australia, and the Cape Colony, South Africa - this book explores the intimate relationship between the colonisation of time and the conquest of land; time's instrumentality in the exportation of Christianity, capitalism, and modernity, and the role it played in forging European identities and civilities against an imaginary, 'time-less' and 'irregular' other. Both scholars and general readers will find this book valuable for its attentiveness to the tensions across and within colonial societies over teh reform of Indigenous temporalities; as well as to the range of responses that Indigenous societies adopted in order to resist, appropriate or integrate the colonisers' temporal culture. Adding new depth to our understanding of imperial power and the ways in which it was exercised and limited, The colonisation of time documents the remarkable story behind the rise to global dominance of western-time, from the clock to the seven-day week, revealing its status as one of the most enduring, pervasive and taken-for-granted legacies of colonisation in today's world.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published April 10, 2012

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever sat in a cubicle or an office or a classroom, watching the clock, waiting until it's "time to go home?"

Have you ever looked out the window while waiting for the clock, noticed some lovely trees that you'd rather be sitting under and thought to yourself "How did I get here? How did WE ALL get here? Is there anything beyond this mechanical, artificial sense of time? What could life be like if clocks were helpful tools rather than uncompromising masters?"

If so, this book is for you. It shows how clocks and calendars were used as tools of colonization. It focuses on Aboriginal Australian and Native South African peoples, but its analysis is not limited to that scope. Just as the legacy of the clock and bell reverberate to this day, we in the 21st century can take lessons from the indigenous resistance to The Colonisation of Time.

[Arlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cool. Connects the introduction of British time through missions in Victoria and the Cape Colony with the implementation of capitalism, scientific racism and forced labour in both. Amazing use of archives and diaries. My favourite was the chapter about Coranderrk, Lake Tyers and Ebenezer and the ways Aboriginal life and ceremony became the "nemesis" of the Sabbath.

[Tanya Ivanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute must-read to understand the world you are living in - politically, historically and the power dynamics and asymmetries between the various ethnic and national groups. Also, to understand why you never have time and who organized the daily grind matrix most workers find impossible to escape, which is sucking the life out of us. Enjoy the critical thinking gymnastics!