Description
This roundtable explores how non-linear conceptions of time reshape our understanding of power, memory, ethics, and identity in global politics. By critically examining the hegemony of linear temporal frameworks, the discussion seeks to uncover their limitations in IR theory and practices and explore how understanding alternative temporalities provides new insights on thinking ethics in world politics. Participants engage with diverse fields such as quantum science, memory studies, indigenous knowledge, and global ethics to examine the intersections between temporality and memory, ethics, and justice. This roundtable aims to foster innovative conversations about reinterpreting historical events, addressing memory disputes, and imagining new frameworks for interdisciplinary research in international studies. By doing so, it aligns with BISA 2025’s mission to promote interdisciplinary or 'un-disciplining' approaches to international relations.
Key themes:
• Is the concept of linear time inherently hegemonic?
• What are the limitations of linear conceptions in IR theory?
• What does non-linear time mean in reshaping the ground of ethical debate about world politics?
• How can we critically assess the dominance of linear time and explore pathways to embrace plural temporalities?
• How do different temporal frameworks reinforce or disrupt existing power structures?
• What are the limitations of knowledge production on non-linear time and temporality and their normative implications?
• What is the role of temporal othering in maintaining global hierarchies?
• How does memory and trauma impact temporal understandings of world politics?
• How can historical events be reinterpreted through non-linear temporalities?
• What is the relationship between time, identity, and embodiment in political contexts?
• How does the interplay between collective memory and temporal frameworks influence ontological security in international politics? Can embracing non-linear temporalities destabilise or reinforce this sense of security?
