ELISTOKAINO

Research Coordinator: Andreas Lyberatos

Research Group: Marinos Sariyannis, Dimitrios Charitatos

The Research Unit  "Time Perception and Mechanical Timekeepers in the Greek Lands, 18^th-20^th c." is a part of the Project "ELISTOKAINO": the History of Innovation in Greece, 19th-20th centuries, which is part of the strategic plan for development of the Institute for Mediterranean Studies (IMS)/ Foundation for Research and Technology, Hellas (FORTH). The project aims to a multidisciplinary contribution in the understanding of the issue of innovation in Greece through the study of different aspects of Greek experience. Equally important is to highlight and analyze some key case studies from the history of mentalities, science, economy and art as well as the social preconditions of success or failure of the business and technological innovations in Greece.

Objectives

Time perception and attitudes towards time are considered important indicators for the transition of a society to modernity. The research unit "Time Perception and Mechanical Timekeepers in the Greek Lands, 18^th-20^th c." aims to provide a first "mapping" of the Greek experience of transition to a modern time culture. When and how does Greek society "receive" the mechanical timekeepers (public and private) and which are the paths and mediums of this technological and cultural transfer? In which social environments was the use of time keepers initially adopted and consequently diffused and who were the agents of the new relationship to time characterized by the stress on temporal discipline?  When and how were modern discourses and attitudes towards time (punctuality, time "economy", work/leisure dichotomy etc.) disseminated and diffused in Greece?

The inscription of the Greek case into the wider framework of the Balkans and Ottoman Empire (the legacy of which is considered crucial for modern Greek society) and a comparative approach  to both the Empire and other successor states (Bulgaria, Serbia) is considered by the Research group  necessary for a meaningful inquiry into the above stated questions. The multidisciplinary study of public clocks in the Greek lands, the study of the evolution of attitudes towards time and the study of technology reception, adoption and innovation in the field of timekeeping are among the research objectives of the research unit.