What Is the Concept of Untimeliness?

TL;DR

Time is not a fixed, neutral entity but a constructed concept with cultural and scientific relativity. Bayo Akomolafe explores the idea of 'untimeliness' as a way to challenge the linear, progress-driven narratives of time and invites us to embrace the gaps and excesses within time that offer new possibilities and resistances. This perspective encourages a reevaluation of how we perceive and interact with time.

Transcript

The untimely is something to do that we know nothing about. Not it's not a blueprint. It's not a project. It's not a plan. It's not a foundation. It's something to do that we know nothing about and yet we are being enlisted in the doing of it. Of all the systems that give shape, meaning and order to our collective and personal lives, time may be on... Read More

Key Insights

• Time is a constructed concept, not a natural or neutral entity.
• The notion of 'untimeliness' challenges the linear, progress-driven narratives of time.
• Cultural and scientific perspectives reveal time as relative and speculative.
• The gaps and excesses within time offer new possibilities and resistances.
• The concept of untimeliness is linked to the Yoruba cosmology and the idea of Idowu.
• Modernity's focus on progress often neglects the richness of ancestrality and locality.
• Attention is not something we give but a geological force that shapes our perceptions.
• The untimely invites us to embrace uncertainty and failure as part of our temporal experience.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the concept of untimeliness?

The concept of untimeliness challenges the linear, progress-driven narratives of time by emphasizing the gaps and excesses within time that offer new possibilities and resistances. It invites us to reconsider how we perceive and interact with time, encouraging a more nuanced understanding of our temporal existence.

Q: How does Bayo Akomolafe view time?

Bayo Akomolafe views time as a constructed concept, not a natural or neutral entity. He emphasizes its cultural and scientific relativity and explores the idea of 'untimeliness' to challenge the linear narratives of time. This perspective encourages embracing the gaps and excesses within time for new possibilities.

Q: What role does Yoruba cosmology play in the concept of untimeliness?

Yoruba cosmology, particularly the idea of Idowu, plays a significant role in the concept of untimeliness. Idowu represents the excess and surplus of temporality, challenging the linear narratives of time. This perspective encourages embracing the richness of ancestrality and locality, often neglected by modernity's focus on progress.

Q: How does modernity's focus on progress affect our perception of time?

Modernity's focus on progress often leads to a neglect of the richness of ancestrality and locality, emphasizing linear narratives of time. This perspective can empty the world around us, making place space and creating a catch-up imperative that encourages conformity to a progress-driven temporal framework.

Q: What is the significance of attention in the context of time?

Attention is not something we give but a geological force that shapes our perceptions. It is part of the attentional, a force that magnetizes our bodies and influences how we perceive time. By examining the cracks in the attentional, we can uncover new possibilities and resistances within our temporal experience.

Q: What does Bayo Akomolafe mean by 'the clock is secreting a strange kind of Idowu'?

Bayo Akomolafe suggests that the clock, while appearing to measure time linearly, actually secretes a strange kind of Idowu—an excess or surplus of temporality. This Idowu represents the gaps and intervals within time that offer new possibilities and resistances, challenging the linear narratives of time.

Q: How does the concept of untimeliness relate to resistance?

The concept of untimeliness relates to resistance by emphasizing the gaps and excesses within time that offer new possibilities for resisting linear, progress-driven narratives. By embracing untimeliness, we can challenge the constraints of modern temporality and open ourselves to new forms of resistance and transformation.

Q: What is the role of failure and uncertainty in the concept of untimeliness?

Failure and uncertainty play a crucial role in the concept of untimeliness, as they invite us to embrace the gaps and excesses within time that offer new possibilities. By accepting failure and uncertainty as part of our temporal experience, we can challenge linear narratives and open ourselves to new forms of resistance and transformation.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Time is not a fixed or neutral entity; it is a constructed concept with cultural and scientific relativity. Bayo Akomolafe explores 'untimeliness' as a way to challenge the linear, progress-driven narratives of time. This perspective encourages us to embrace the gaps and excesses within time that offer new possibilities and resistances.

• The notion of 'untimeliness' is linked to Yoruba cosmology, where Idowu represents the excess and surplus of temporality. Modernity's focus on progress often neglects the richness of ancestrality and locality. By embracing untimeliness, we can resist the linear narratives of time and open ourselves to new possibilities.

• Attention is not something we give but a geological force that shapes our perceptions. The untimely invites us to embrace uncertainty and failure as part of our temporal experience. This perspective encourages a reevaluation of how we perceive and interact with time, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of our temporal existence.