By Alexander Perepechko
Published on February 17, 2012
Historical time is a local phenomenon. Since the density and frequency of events in different locations varies, we perceive time in different places as flowing at different speeds. When we move from one country to the next, we adjust to the local “movement of time” (Lightman, 1994).
When twenty years ago I found myself an asylee in Seattle, Washington, I thought “This is my terminus.” The American “modern” project and linearity of time were everywhere. The golden age of production was still present. The social factory was open to change and innovation. Progress and speed were among the major features of life, and nonstop work did not prevent Americans from smiling. Regardless, old immigrants tirelessly talked about the “cold monster of the state” and strongly advised educated newcomers like me to leave America for Canada. They even quoted Dostoevsky (1994), who had portrayed the exploitation of educated immigrants from Eastern Europe in unskilled jobs in 19th century America. It was strange to hear these warnings. For someone who just left behind the dissolved Evil Empire – the Soviet Union – the American Leviathan had a smiling face.
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