Waiting: A Sociological Expression of General Temporal Experiences

Deng Yuexin

Published in Sociological Studies, 2024, Issue 6. 

Abstract: Drawing on the traditional research approach of sociology of time that focuses on temporal experience, this article explores the dilemma of lacking subjectivity in the theory of social time by focusing on waiting. Tracing back the theoretical foundations of waiting as temporal experience, this article explores the dual attributes of waiting, i. e. , the sociality of other-reference and the subjectivity of self-reference, thereby revealing the social significance of the hope in waiting in bridging time, self, and the others. By justifying the negative subject within the framework of social time, this article establishes an analytical approach that balances the sociality and subjectivity of social time.

Keywords: social time, subjectivity, time experience, waiting, hope