Location: CASA Tony M., Marktplatz 3, 54516 Wittlich
Time: March 18, 2025, 7 p.m.
Contact: info@kulturamt.wittlich.de
Admission free, registration at info@kulturamt.wittlich.de

When conversations turn to time, the impressions conveyed are repeated: Oh, it's gone by so quickly again; People don't have time; Waiting takes an eternity again, etc. In the book “Zeitzeichen. Insights into the rhythm of society”, you are guided through these many references and confronted with many a surprise. How did “holy days” become “holidays”? What does a second of honking tell us about the sense of speed in a society? Why do more and more people agree with the statement “If you have time, you make yourself suspicious”? And why does a letter say “Out of town after dictation”?

The book has a history. The author first came into contact with the topic as a member of a scientific advisory board of the Federal Statistical Office. To this day, this office uses a methodically complex procedure to find out where the Germans' time actually goes. The study of the typical measurement methods alone provides interesting insights into this field of research. But at the same time, the search for clues began in other sources, including literature, i.e. the world of novels. Sten Nadolny and “The Discovery of Slowness” is one of them, as is Pascal Mercier with his story “Night Train to Lisbon”. The result is a collection of observations that may not be a complete map of time, but one that covers many areas of life. The 2nd edition has been completely revised and expanded.

The reading tells of these expeditions and aims to show that a society without time constantly generates evidence of its existence. Prof. Jäckel is a sociologist and teaches at the University of Trier. As former President of the University of Trier (2011-2023), he was active on the Board of Trustees of the City of Wittlich Foundation for many years.