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Social History and Conceptual History
Reinhart Koselleck
L Historical Retrospective
There are the non-reversible situations which drive out their own
transformation and behind which then something like 'fate' can
appear, which remains a challenge to be explored and handed down
for any self- and world-interpretation. All m?moires and biographies
more or less accomplished belong in this category, in English
emphasizing the interplay between life and language?"Life and
Letters"?further, all stories which trace causes and events in their
imminent dynamic. "He said this and did that, she said that did such
and so, which caused something surprising, something new that
changed everything"?numerous works have been built up accord?
ing to this formalized schema, especially those which, like histories
of political or diplomatic events and, thanks to the situation of
sources, are able to construct proceedings actu. Regarded
in from
their linguistic achievement, these stories fall into a series which
extends from mythology to the novel.5 Only as objects of knowledge
do they live from the authenticity?to be verified?of linguistic
sources, which stand up for the totum of the formerly presupposed
entwinement of speech-acts and deeds.
316 Politics, Culture, and Society
Reference Notes