The concept of time, its understanding and impact on life

Abstract (English)

Concepts of time and attitudes towards it can be observed and researched with anthropological methods. They can also be analysed from many perspectives: cognitive, behavioural, psychological, and religious. All of these perspectives are used by anthropologists in their work. Time is part of the heritage and social memory in every society. Myths, beliefs, and resulting rituals that influence the perception of time help to preserve tangible and intangible elements of culture and understand people's attitudes towards the past, presence and the future.
Attitudes towards time show the thinking patterns of people and societies and help us understand the functioning of society. Hindus who believe in reincarnation and karma see their life situation through the prism of deeds and effects of deeds from previous incarnations. Christians who believe in one life see their situation as the will of God and not the result of events and deeds from many pasts. According to Mbiti (1969), Africans perceive time as something that has happened or is happening now. Kanu (2015) believes that such an understanding of time without looking to the future is the cause of Africa's slow development: leaders focus on colonial wounds, the great and destroyed past by invaders, and do not plan ahead.
In this panel, we invite papers that will discuss the concept of time from a religious and cultural perspective. We invite speakers whose research examines: 1. the attitude towards time, 2. contemporary understanding of traditional knowledge concerning fate and personal responsibility, 3. engagement with past events and their implications on today, 4. nature and characteristics of beliefs that influence personal attitude towards past, presence and future, 5. The concept of forgiveness and reconciliation, 6. The idea of forgetting the past and focusing only on the future, both personally and as societies.