Axis of succession and axis of intention of time: Unpacking temporal dynamics of colonial space in Jerusalem

Abstract

The article explores the impact of colonial urban planning on the temporal dynamics of the colonized people. This is discussed using the city of East Jerusa - lem as a colonized city, and the area of Kufr Aqab, located within the municipal boundaries but outside the Separation Wall, as a case-study. The article argues that the use of the spatial policy of colonial urban planning affects the daily lives of the colonized people not only spatially but also temporally and in different ways. The methodology is both qualitative and quantitative, and based on Elliott Jaques’s theory on the “Form of Time” taking into consideration what he identifies as the axis of succession and the axis of intention of time. These axes are reflected in the succession of time episodes as well as the intentions of the people, thus showing the effect of how the past, present and future are perceived. This is supported by quantitative analyses of a questionnaire of a sample of 284 people from Kufr Aqab in East Jerusalem. The article explains how colonial policies deeply affect the temporal dynamics of the daily lives of the colonized people, creating loops of temporal episodes that affect the essence of perception of time, its organization and management, as well as their adopted life style.