Has material civilization spun out of control, becoming too fast for our own well-being and that of the planet? This book confronts these anxieties and examines the changing rhythms and temporal organization of everyday life.

Has material civilization spun out of control, becoming too fast for our own well-being and that of the planet? This book confronts these anxieties and examines the changing rhythms and temporal organization of everyday life. How do people handle hurriedness, burn-out and stress? Are slower forms of consumption viable? This volume brings together international experts from geography, sociology, history, anthropology and philosophy. In case studies covering the United States, Asia and Europe, contributors follow routines and rhythms, their emotional and political dynamics and show how they are anchored in material culture and everyday practice. Running themes of the book are questions of coordination and disruption; cycles and seasons; and the interplay between power and freedom, and between material and natural forces. The result is a volume that brings studies of practice, temporality and material culture together to open up a new intellectual agenda.

"Every now and then a book appears which can truly be counted as an original. This is one of those books. Each chapter produces a different kind of sparkle but the overall effect is clear: to shine a light into a series of different kinds of social fractures and crevices that make up the use of time, thereby giving the lie to the idea of anything as simple as a notion like routine. The diversity of the book makes it a constant delight to read, the theme will surely be a stimulus to further work. Terrific. - Nigel Thrift, University of Warwick. Co-Author of Times, Spaces and Places and Shaping the Day The book is arranged around a number of case studies from different cultures, including a comparative analysis in the UK between 1937 and 2000 and seasonal and commerical rhythms of domestic consumption in Japan. The reader comes away with a much more subtle understanding of the topic. - The Scientific and Medical Network The book is well presented, a strongly bound paperback, with acceptable price. The content has very strong value as teaching material as well as building further research. - Nancy J. Pollock, Victoria University (New Zealand)"