Time–space compression: Difference between revisions

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''' Time–space compression''' (also known as '''space–time compression''' and ''' time–space distanciation''') is an idea referring to the altering of the qualities of [[spacetime|space–time]] and the relationship between space and time that is a consequence of the expansion of [[Capital (economics)|capital]]. It is rooted in [[Karl Marx]]'s theory of the "annihilation of space by time" originally elaborated in the ''[[Grundrisse]]'',<ref>Marx, Karl. ''Grundrisse''. Penguin Classics, 1993. pp.&nbsp;539.</ref> and was later articulated by Marxist geographer [[David Harvey (geographer)|David Harvey]] in his book ''The Condition of Postmodernity''.<ref>Harvey, David. ''The Condition of Postmodernity: An Enquiry into the Origins of Cultural Change''. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell, 1990.</ref> A similar idea was proposed by [[Elmar Altvater]] in an article in ''PROKLA'' in 1987,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Altvater |first=Elmar |year=1987 |title=Ökologische und ökonomische Modalitäten von Zeit und Raum |journal=PROKLA. Zeitschrift für kritische Sozialwissenschaft |volume=17 |issue=67 |pp=35-54 |language=de |doi=10.32387/prokla.v17i67.1338|doi-access=free }}</ref> translated into English as "Ecological and Economic Modalities of Time and Space" and published in ''[[Capitalism Nature Socialism]]'' in 1990.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Altvater |first=Elmar |year=1989 |title=Ecological and economic modalities of time and space |journal=Capitalism Nature Socialism |volume=1 |issue=3 |pp=59-70 |doi=10.1080/10455758909358384}}</ref>

Time–space compression occurs as a result of technological innovations driven by the global expansion of capital that condense or elide spatial and temporal distances, including [[communication technology|technologies of communication]] ([[telegraph]], [[telephone]]s, [[fax machine]]s, [[Internet]]) and [[travel]] (rail, cars, trains, jets), driven by the need to overcome spatial barriers, open up new markets, speed up production cycles, and reduce the turnover time of capital.