Rhuthmos

Episode 5 : « The Times of Water » with Peter De Souza, Harriet Hand and Miriam Jensen

2026-03-03T06:00:00Z

Hosts and Guests : Keri Facer (Professor of Educational and Social Futures, University of Bristol, UK) – Michel Alhadeff-Jones (Executive Director, Sunkhronos Institute, Switzerland) – Peter De Souza (formerly Director, Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), at Goa University and Professor at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies ) – Miriam Jensen (Researcher, Aalborg University) – Harriet Hand (Senior researcher, University of Bristol)

Summary : In this episode, Keri and Michel explore with three leading experts how time plays a role in conflicts over water and rivers. They discuss the relations between geological, cultural, ecological and political times shaping river disputes in Goa, the changing calendars of farmers and zebra mussels in a Danish river, and the competing ideas of river times between wild swimmers and water companies in the UK.

Episode 4 : « Time Talk, Narratives and the End of the World » with Nomi Claire Lazar and Andy Hom

2026-02-22T06:00:00Z

Hosts and Guests : Keri Facer (Professor of Educational and Social Futures, University of Bristol, UK) – Michel Alhadeff-Jones (Executive Director, Sunkhronos Institute, Switzerland) – Nomi Claire Lazar (Professor of Politics, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa, Canada) – Andy Hom (Senior Lecturer in International Relations, University of Edinburgh, UK)

Summary : In this episode, Michel and Keri discuss with Nomi Claire Lazar and Andy Hom, two leading scholars in political science, the relations between our experience of time, identity, political beliefs and extremism. Together, they explore the connections between time and the narratives we produce to give meaning to the complexity of our existence. The need to be able to relate past, present and future is probably a core feature of the human condition, especially when people feel they evolve in a time of crisis or uncertainty. The narratives people develop to orientate and project themselves through the time of their existence – and throughout history – express as much their core beliefs as they translate their deep hopes and fears. Such narratives express who we are and how we compose our identity in a world perceived as uncertain. They become even more powerful when they explicitly relate to the end of the world. They carry a heavy political weight that influences the ways people envision what they can or cannot do.

Episode 3 : « The Power of Clocks and Calendars » with Michelle Bastian

2026-01-29T06:00:00Z

Hosts and Guests : Michel Alhadeff-Jones (Executive Director, Sunkhronos Institute, Switzerland) – Keri Facer (Professor of Educational and Social Futures, University of Bristol, UK) – Michelle Bastian (Senior Lecturer in Environmental Humanities, University of Edinburgh, UK)

Summary : In this episode, Michelle Bastian, a leading scholar in the field of critical time studies, reflects with Michel and Keri on how timekeeping plays a critical role in the way we think and act in relation to environmental issues. Together, they discuss how clocks contribute to power dynamics and social injustices, and what it takes—individually and collectively—to envision, live through, and regulate the plural temporalities and rhythms that shape life on Earth.

Episode 2 : « Beyond Development, Pluriversal Temporalities » with Arturo Escobar

2026-01-26T07:00:00Z

Summary : In this episode, Arturo Escobar—the grandfather of modern critiques of development theory and originator of the idea of pluriversal design—talks with Keri and Michel about the danger of allowing one time story to dominate, about his own relationship with time, what it means to face death and endings, and his new work exploring pluriversal temporalities in Cali, Colombia.

Episode 1 : « Rethinking the Times and Rhythms of a Just Transition »

2026-01-11T06:00:00Z

Hosts and Guests : Keri Facer (Professor of Educational and Social Futures, University of Bristol, UK) & Michel Alhadeff-Jones (Executive Director, Sunkhronos Institute, Switzerland)

Summary : In the first episode, Michel Alhadeff-Jones and Keri Facer introduce The Temporal Imagination podcast and explore how « temporal imagination » and « rhythmic intelligence » offer new ways of making sense of the world. They talk about how societies and individuals understand and live in time in very diverse ways and how these differences create both conflicts and the potential for new possibilities to emerge. They discuss how rhythm shapes our experience of life, and structures the organisation of the world. And how the metaphors we use for talking about time and change, can both constrain and enable new ways of thinking. They begin to dive into how understanding, and working creatively with time and rhythm, are essential to making the changes in society needed for more sustainable and regenerative ways of living.