Social Bonds and Historical Time

This book analyses the social dimension of historical time, and explores how we emotionally and intellectually bind ourselves to the past, and project these ties onto our present and future.

Gustafsson Chorell argues that historical time is inherently social, and that the nexus of past, present, and future is constructed through social mechanisms. Beginning with the concept of the ’historical imaginary’, this book examines the theoretical shift from future-oriented to present-oriented models of time, and integrates insights from intellectual history, philosophy, and social theory.

This book takes demonstrates how a variety of social bonds - such as emotion, generation, and authority - can affect how historical time is demarcated. Analysing key concepts such as ’desire’ for the past, the impact of grief and nostalgia, and the role of history in shaping expectations for the future, the volume highlights the enduring significance of sociality, even under new regimes of historicity - such as the Anthropocene.

Ultimately, Gustafsson Chorell offers a comprehensive view of how past, present, and future are interconnected - and highlights the continued importance of thinking carefully about the relationship between time and history.

Torbjörn Gustafsson Chorell is Professor of Intellectual History at Uppsala University, Sweden