In 2026, we commemorate twenty years since the passing of Reinhart Koselleck, a historian whose work remains fundamental to understanding the current crisis in Peru. His approach, centered on the History of Concepts, reveals that the instability of the country is not limited to political or institutional crises but is a consequence of the asymmetry between modern expectations and a historical reality dominated by traditional practices.
Koselleck proposes that key concepts such as Republic, Crisis, and State are not just empty labels; they are linked to specific historical contexts and directly affect political reality. The idea of the “Space of Experience” and the “Horizon of Expectation” becomes essential to explain the fracture in Peruvian history. Since Independence, tensions between the desire for a Rule of Law and the persistent weakness of public administration are evident.
The political instability of Peru can be interpreted as a Permanent Crisis, where institutional distrust and semantic struggle dominate public debate. In this context, political concepts become tools for ideological attack, further complicating the search for a common republican ideal. To delve deeper into these issues, one can refer to the analysis on the importance of choosing our congress members wisely, as reported in this note.
