Rhythm and Vigilance: Ethnographies of Surveillance and Time

Available open access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.

Studies of surveillance have emphasised how technology is used to control space. This innovative collection examines how new monitoring technologies are also affecting the experience of time.

Drawing on Henri Lefebvre’s concept of rhythm, the book brings together ethnographic research from Europe, China and the US, to show how digital monitoring is transforming spatio-temporal relations across the Global North.

As digital technologies continue to reshape the rhythms of life, this book makes a valuable contribution to both anthropology and surveillance studies.

Vita Peacock is Research Associate at King’s College London and Principal Investigator on the Surveillance and Moral Community project, funded by the European Research Council.

Mikkel Kenni Bruun is Postdoctoral Researcher at King’s College London.

Claire Dungey is Postdoctoral Researcher at King’s College London.

Matan Shapiro is Postdoctoral Researcher at King’s College London.