Chapter 1: Time and the Rhythms of Academia: A Rhythmanalytical Perspective

The aim of this chapter is to introduce an analytical framework based on contemporary theories developed around the concept of rhythm (e.g. Bachelard, 1950; Lefebvre, 1992/2004; Michon, 2005, 2007, 2020; Sauvanet, 2000a, 2000b) to enrich the understanding of the complementary, contradictory, and antagonistic temporalities found in academia. This contribution is informed by the empirical and theoretical research I am conducting in adult and higher education around the rhythmic dimensions inherent to the everyday activity, lifelong learning, self-development, and emancipatory processes (Alhadeff-Jones, 2017, 2018a, 2018b, 2019a, 2019b, 2019c, 2020). Accordingly, it claims the value of transdisciplinary research, such as rhythm studies, to interpret the complexity of temporal phenomena (Crespi & Manghani, 2020; Henriques, Tiainen, & Väliaho, 2014; Michon, 2007, 2018a, 2018b, 2019, 2020; Sauvanet, 2000a, 2000b; Sauvanet & Wunenberger, 1996; Wunenberger, 1992; Wunenburger & Lamy, 2018).