The concept of the chronotope, originally developed by Mikhail Bahktin for the analysis of space-time categories in novels, has emerged to become a compelling theoretical and analytical tool in sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology. One of the main reasons for its emergence is in problematising ‘fixed’ treatments of context in linguistic analysis. This is especially when dealing with the multi-layered complexities of a sociolinguistics of globalisation, explored via notions such as superdiversity, transcontextual networks, and mobilities. Jan Blommaert has been one of the principal advocates of the utility of chronotopes, and, as well as providing a useful introductory essay to this volume, asking the important question, ‘Are chronotopes helpful?’, it is his work that has inspired and drawn together the chapters comprising this truly diverse collection of case studies on chronotopic identity work.
The volume begins with a chapter by the editors who make a convincing case for the need to consider identity formations as inseparable to specific spacetime configurations, thereby laying out the scope of the collection. Following on from the essay by Blommaert, chapters address both on- and offline identity practices in several research sites across the globe. There is no particular thematic organization to the volume, but the eight chapters can be roughly grouped into the following topic areas: social media, tourism, and education.
Although each contributor applies the concept of the chronotope to their data somewhat differently, in light of the specific questions related to each research topic, they all seek to demonstrate how an understanding of chronotopicity enhances their analysis. To take a couple of examples, Xuan Wang & Sjaak Kroon (chapter 7) focus on heritage tourism and identity with respect to processes of the ‘semiotic production of authenticity’ by the Tujia ethnic group in China, explaining how cultural recognition and authenticity is produced through a number of intersecting chronotopes at different scales, such as village life, ecotourism, and adventure. In this way, they argue that a simplistic treatment of binary ‘contexts’, for example between the traditional and modern, would fail to capture this process adequately. Similarly, in the field of education, Jos Swanenberg (chapter 9) relates the playful shifting of linguistic repertoires by Dutch adolescents to their metapragmatic awareness of chronotopes and the (in)authentic identities that are (in)viable within them, thus enriching established understandings of language variety and style.
The insights and challenges raised by the chapters are discussed in Anna de Fina's closing essay. She recognizes that chronotopicity is an important development in moving beyond fixed and stable conceptions of context towards capturing the ‘wholeness’ of social occasions. That is, how (normative) scripts, behaviours, and values are related to specific chronotopic configurations and how these co-occur across various scales on social occasions to either allow for or restrict certain identities and social actions. However, she also brings out the challenges related to, for example, accurately identifying the characteristics of individual chronotopes and drawing out the complex ways in which they relate to each other in communicative acts. As such, she emphasizes that ethnography is crucial for chronotopic analysis and thus commends the contributors to this volume for beginning to light the way forward to this complex analytical task.
