Epochenwenden

Overview & Synopsis

New eras rather than the end of eras? The cyclical nature and evolution of a concept are subjected to interdisciplinary scrutiny. The swan song for eras has long been unmistakable in the humanities: too contrived, yet too naïve; outdated in an age of constant acceleration; obsolete in the immensity of the ‘Anthropocene’. Nevertheless, there is no less of a shortage of refreshed or new definitions of epochs in the sciences than in public discourse, where turning points are observed, asserted or wished for in order to achieve political goals. Examples include the recent proclamation of a ‘turning point’ as well as other, older definitions of ‘turning points’, which appear more or less plausible. These include the turning point of 1989 – particularly in contrast to the formula of the ‘spiritual and moral turning point’ in the Federal Republic of Germany just under a decade earlier – or the transport, energy and climate transitions of recent years. The authors examine the contemporary use of the construct ‘epoch’ from an interdisciplinary perspective, incorporating questions of global history. In doing so, they also explore the hypothesis that the recent trends in epoch-making can be attributed to a shift in thinking about what it means to define epochs and for what purposes this is done.