The concept of Sattlezeit was coined by
Koselleck to identify a period of change and
transformation in Europe beginning from
the middle of eighteenth century in which
the meaning of old concepts was changing
to fit the conditions of a modern world and
to account for the new relationship humans
were developing with nature, history, and
time.1 Koselleck focuses his analysis on concepts
used in political discourse, specifically
what he calls “basic concepts” without which
communication in the realm of politics is not possible. Because they index newly emerged
complex social and political realities, these
concepts are highly complex, ambiguous, and
contested.