Lagoonscapes

The Venice Journal of Environmental Humanities

Zoning in and out

Traditional Aquapelagic Temporality and Chronometric Time in the Faroe Islands

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Abstract

Western chronometric time constitutes a type of temporal orientation that contrasts to earlier approaches to time and temporality. This essay explores the disjunctures between traditional temporal patterns and modern chronometric time in the Faroe Islands. We outline the geo-physical situation of the islands and their aquapelagic orientation as the context for traditional Faroese temporality and provide a series of vignettes that illustrate the persistence of pre-chronometric temporality and sensibilities in contemporary society. Through exploring these we suggest how alternative temporalities might be a resource for communities in late capitalist societies.


open access | peer reviewed

Submitted: Sept. 2, 2025 | Accepted: Nov. 7, 2025 | Published Dec. 18, 2025 | Language: en

Keywords Insularity • Aquapelagos • Temporality • Concept of time • Faroe Islands

Copyright © 2025 Firouz Gaini, Erika Hayfield, Philip Hayward. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/LGSP/2785-2709/2025/02/010