Sign the gap: dialogical self in disrupted times

In this article we propose to advance our understanding of dialogical self dynamics by focusing on the experience of time. In order to do so, we treat the dynamics of I-positions as semiotic processes. We focus on an event that threatens the sense of time and causes uncertainty - World War II in England, examined through a case study of a young woman. We show how social and personal time markers normally establish a sense of continuity. Facing ruptures, a person can use further social means to reduce uncertainty - yet these carry normative expectations for I-positions. More personal uses of symbolic resources can also restore a connection to past I-positions, construct present ones, and create alternative future I-positions; they can also create alternative temporalities that enable to isolate or protect vulnerable I-positions.