Time is not only an objective phenomenon, linked to the pulse of natural processes (astronomical time), nor a subjective psychological dimension pertaining to personal memory; it is also the product of social representations and expectations. Current experience of time seems to be characterised by the absence of the future: people today engage in less planning and cultivate less hope, and emphasise the present and prefer to live "day by day". This entails important consequences for both individuals and society. The empirical study described in this book explores new representations and modes of use of time in our society, especially among the younger generations.

Table of Contents: Introduction - 1. The Research Topic, by F. Crespi - 2. The Empirical Data, by A. Marradi - Part One: Reading Time - 3. Time as a Toll for Social Analysis, by C. Leccardi - 4. Being Young and Experience of Time, by M. Rampazi - 5. Situating Time: Places, Discourses, Intersubjectivity, by M. Rampazi - Part Two: Young People's Time - 6. Life Times: Acceleration and Slowness, by C. Leccardi - 7. The Construction of Duration in Everyday Life, by M. Rampazi - 8. The Rhythms of the Present, by G. Mandich - 9. Experiencing Time and Gender, by L.A. Pant - 10. Imagining Time, by D. Carbone - Part Three: Using Time and Living Time - 11. Use and Perception of Time: A False Dichotomy, by G. Paolucci - 12. Classifying Everyday Life, by F. Bonichi & G. Paolucci - Part Four: Other Time - 13. Metamorphoses of Young Adults, by C. Cristofori - 14. Not Enough Time: Young Mothers, by A. Santambrogio - 15. Immigrant Children's Time, by M. Manteri - 16. Time and Memory: The Elderly, by R. Cruzzolin - Bibliography

A major figure in Italian sociology, Franco Crespi used to teach Sociology at the University of Perugia.