Table Of ContentCONTEMPORARY SOCIAL THEORY
General Editor: ANTHONY GIDDENS
This series aims to create a forum for debate between different
theoretical and philosophical traditions in the social sciences. As
well as covering broad schools of thought, the series will also con
centrate upon the work of particular thinkers whose ideas have had
a major impact on social science (these books appear under the sub
series title of 'Theoretical Traditions in the Social Sciences'). The
series is not limited to abstract theoretical discussion - it will also
include more substantive works on contemporary capitalism, the
state, politics and other subject areas.
Published titles
Tony Bilton, Kevin Bonnett, Philip Jones, Ken Sheard, Michelle Stanworth and
Andrew Webster, Introductory Sociology
Simon Clarke, Marx, Marginalism and Modern Sociology
Emile Durkheim, The Rules of Sociological Method (ed. Steven Lukes, trans.
W. D. Halls)
Anthony Giddens, A Contemporary Critique of Historical Materialism
Anthony Giddens, Central Problems in Social Theory
Anthony Giddens, Profiles and Critiques in Social Theory
Anthony Giddens and David Held (eds), Classes, Power and Conflict
Ali Rattansi, Marx and the Division of Labour
Gerry Rose, Deciphering Sociological Research
John Scott, The Upper Classes: Property and Privilege in Britain
Steve Taylor, Durkheim and the Study of Suicide
John B. Thompson and David Held (eds), Habermas: Critical Debates
John Urry, The Anatomy of Capitalist Societies
Forthcoming titles
Martin Albrow, Weber and the Construction of Social Theory
Clive Ashworth, Chris Dandeker and Terry Johnson, Theoretical Sociology
David Brown and Michael Harrison, Industrial Sociology
Emile Durkheim, The Division of Labour in Society (trans. W.D. Halls)
Boris Frankel, Beyond the State
Anthony Giddens, Between Capitalism and Socialism
David Held, Bureaucracy, Democracy and Socialism
Geoffrey Ingham, Capitalism Divided
Jorge Larrain, Marxism and Ideology
Claus Offe, Structural Problems of the Capitalist State
Michelle Stanworth, Gender and Class
John B. Thompson, Language and Ideology
CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL THEORY
General Editor: ANTHONY GIDDENS
Theoretical Traditions in the Social Sciences
This series introduces the work of major figures in social science to students
beyond their immediate specialisms.
Published titles
Barry Barnes, T. S. Kuhn and Social Science
Julian Roberts, Walter Benjamin
Forthcoming titles
Ted Benton, Althusser and the Althusserians
David Bloor, Wittgenstein and Social Science
Chris Bryant, Positivism in Social Theory
John Forrester, Jacques Lacan
John Heritage, Garfinkel and Ethnomethodology
Athar Hussain, Foucault
Bob Jessop, Nicos Poulantzas
James Schmidt, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Social Theory
Dennis Smith, Barrington Moore: Violence, Morality and Political Change
Robin Williams, Erving Goffman
Walter Benjamin
Julian Roberts
M
©Julian Roberts 1982
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1s t edition 1982
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in
any form or by any means, without permission.
First published 1982 by
THE MACMILLAN PRESS L TO
London and Basingstoke
Companies and representatives throughout the world
ISBN 978-0-333-30619-2 ISBN 978-1-349-17018-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-17018-0
Typeset in areat Britain by
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on the subsequent purchaser.
Gang leaders
Stride about like statesmen. The peoples
Are no longer visible under the armaments.
So the future lies in darkness, and the forces for good
Are weak. All this you saw ...
BRECHT, 'On the suicide of the refugee W. B.' (1941)
Contents
Preface
IX
Introduction 1
The highly respected enigma 1
Instructions for use 8
I Benjamin's Life
Studentship 13
The move towards politics 1919-25 15
Maturity 1926-39 16
Coda 1939-40 19
II Context and Background
1. The Early Years 23
The youth movement 24
Universities 36
Zionism 43
2. Socialism and the Writer 49
Leftism and the literary avant-garde 50
The Institute for Social Research 65
3. The Intellectual Background 76
Traditionalism 77
Interventionism 91
III Benjamin's Work
1. From Ethics to Politics 103
Critique of symbolism 104
Ethics and practice 133
viii Contents
2. Historical Materialism 153
The dialectic of practice 154
Technik and intellectual practice 157
False consciousness 169
3. The Revolution - Utopia or Plan? 196
The problem of the 'Theses on History' 196
Utopianism and Benjamin's work 199
The theoretical context 208
Materialism and 'hermeneutics' 216
Notes and References 227
Index 247
Preface
lowe many thanks to those who read and commented on this book
as it took shape. They include John Ashton, Chloe Chard, Tony
Giddens, David Held, Charles Lewis and John Winckler. I am
particularly indebted to the deep scholarship and unfailing support
of James Bradley.
I am very grateful to my colleagues at the Cambridgeshire
College of Arts and Technology for making it possible for me to
take a year off to write this, and also to the German Academic
Exchange Service for their financial help.
lowe perhaps most to the learning and loyalty of my parents,
Mark Roberts and Rosalind Depas, and to the affectionate fore
bearance of Philippa Bush.
Cambridgeshire College of Arts
and Technology JULIAN ROBERTS
October 1981
Introduction
The highly respected enigma
Since his death in 1940 Walter Benjamin has become recognised as
one of the major figures of modern philosophy. For a man who
during his life had no proper career and published little except
short articles and book reviews, the acclaim he has now received in
the academic world and among publishers is remarkable. The
'Benjamin renaissance' started in 1955 with the publication of a
slim selection of pieces. Since then output has multiplied enor
mously, and we are at present half way through the massive
Collected Works which have, to date, produced nine substantial
volumes. This project is a monument of editorial skill and inno
vation.1
The upsurge of interest in Benjamin was also accompanied, as
might have been expected, by extensive contributions from aca
demic researchers. A rich body of commentary accumulated
throughout the 1970s - most of it in the form of doctoral disserta
tions and scholarly articles. A great deal of this has appeared
outside Germany. 2
At the same time the assimilation of Benjamin's work among a
wider public is less conspicuous. Despite the enormous attention
paid to him by specialists, it is noticeable that Benjamin still has no
generally recognised theoretical identity. There is nothing which
people would commonly acknowledge as 'Benjaminian' in the
same way that they might locate 'Brechtian' or 'Lacanian' motifs in
a theoretical text. It is almost unthinkable that anyone might be
described as 'a Benjaminian'; or at least it would be entirely
obscure what that might signify. Similarly, Benjamin does not reap
the citations which might be felt appropriate to a thinker of his
