ABSTRACT
The mutually constitutive relation between time and practice is even more evident with respect to the doing of things that require or that are better done in the company of others. The proposition that much consumption, not only of time but also of money and other material and natural resources, is occasioned by people’s involvement in relationships, activities and taken-for-granted routines makes a lot of sense. The significance of each form and the relation between them arguably depends upon the sum total of practice-time profiles within any one society, and on the manner in which they intersect. In Finland, telephone conversations tend to be longer in the countryside than in the city; winter Mondays are peak times for calling and the fewest calls are made on summer Sundays. By comparison, data from the UK Electricity Association’s load research group imply that people are engaged in practices that require different forms of illumination at the week-end as compared with the week.
