‘ Sattelzeit ’: the invention of ‘premodern history’ in the 1970s
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: In her historicisation of the concept of the 'Sattelzeit,' Julia Angster argues that the term does not represent a meaningful definition of a specific historical epoch.Instead, it serves as source material for analysing the notions of West German historians during the 1970s.Although their conception of the 'Sattelzeit' built on the work of R. Koselleck, it simplifies his concept by transforming an analytical tool of conceptual history into a starting point for social history.It enabled the conception of the Western world, understood as the epitome of 'modernity', as a counterpart to a non-modern other.This, in turn, was influenced by modernisation theories developed by US sociology in the 1950s, ultimately aimed at guiding US policies in the 'development' of the 'Third World'.Modernity thus became a political goal and a result of economic development, to be perceived in the European past as well as in the present of the 'developing world'.In the 1970s, this understanding of 'modernity' was crucial for West German historiography and politics, both trying to inscribe themselves into the modern world of the West.
Source: History of European Ideas
Author: Julia Angster
Institution: University of Mannheim
Language: English
Subfield: History
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4400448306