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Experiencing Time and Space within the United Nations
Author(s) -
Kimber Leah R.,
Maertens Lucile
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
global policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.602
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1758-5899
pISSN - 1758-5880
DOI - 10.1111/1758-5899.13005
Subject(s) - temporalities , social connectedness , space (punctuation) , time space , space time , spacetime , power (physics) , affect (linguistics) , sociology , politics , social psychology , political science , psychology , computer science , law , mathematical analysis , physics , mathematics , communication , quantum mechanics , chemical engineering , engineering , operating system
Departing from an objective understanding of time and space, this article investigates time and space together as daily individual and social experiences within the United Nations (UN) system. Focused on both staff members and civil society partners, it explores how experiences of time and space affect the way the UN functions. Based on two case studies, it first shows that time and space as they are experienced by individuals shape UN everyday practices pointing to a form of unlimited connectedness among individuals and overlapping and delocalized temporalities. It then demonstrates that time and space constitute socially constructed resources to maintain hierarchical relations: looking at temporal and spatial experiences gives insight into power dynamics over decision‐making within the UN. Overall these findings show that time and space are relevant to capture overlooked dimensions in the study of the UN.