Benjamin’s communist idea: Aestheticized politics, technology, and the rehearsal of revolution

European Journal of Political Theory 15 (1):43-60 (2016)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Recent interest in communism as an idea prompts reconsideration of Walter Benjamin’s conception of a “communist” aesthetic politics. In spite of Benjamin’s categorical condemnation of aestheticized politics, his “artwork essay” is better read as both explicit condemnation of a particular (regressive fascist) type of aestheticized politics and implicit commendation of another (progressive communist) type. Under the modern conditions of the technological reproducibility of art, and mass politics, the character of and relationship between the cultural value spheres of politics and aesthetics also changes. Benjamin analyzes dialectically the actuality of the fascist response to modern mass arts and politics in which technology and society are misaligned, and the potentiality of a communist response that would bring about a collective interplay of humanity and technology.

Other Versions

No versions found

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 103,343

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

On the politics of perception in moving image technology.Martin Morris - 2013 - Philosophy and Social Criticism 39 (6):539-557.
Walter Benjamin’s communism.Alison Ross - 2021 - Thesis Eleven 166 (1):16-39.
The Media and the Crisis of Democracy: Rethinking Aesthetic Politics.Jaeho Kang - 2010 - Theoria: A Journal of Social and Political Theory 57 (125):1-22.
The media and the crisis of democracy: rethinking aesthetic politics.Jaeho Kang - 2010 - Theoria: A Journal of Social and Political Theory 57 (124):1-22.
Performing Politics.Troy R. E. Paddock - 2015 - Contemporary Aesthetics 13.
Here and Now: From “Aestheticizing Politics” to “Politicizing Art”.Desmond Manderson - 2018 - In Stefan Huygebaert, Angela Condello, Sarah Marusek & Mark Antaki (eds.), Sensing the Nation's Law: Historical Inquiries Into the Aesthetics of Democratic Legitimacy. Cham: Springer Verlag. pp. 175-190.

Analytics

Added to PP
2014-08-03

Downloads
49 (#468,991)

6 months
4 (#864,415)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Jon Simons
Wheaton College, Illinois

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references