Fire Alarm :Reading Walter Benjamin’s "On the Concept of History"
Fire Alarm :Reading Walter Benjamin’s "On the Concept of History"
paperback
Published:
11 October, 2016
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Description
In this scrupulous, clear and fascinating examination of this essay, Michael Löwy argues that it remains one of the most important philosophical and political writings of the twentieth century. Looking in detail at Benjamin's celebrated but often mysterious text, and restoring the philosophical, theological and political context, Löwy highlights the complex relationship between redemption and revolution in Benjamin's philosophy of history.
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9781784786410 |
| ISBN10 | 1784786411 |
| Number Of Pages | 160 |
| Item Weight | 214 g |
| Product Dimensions | 140 x 203 x 13 mm |
| Publisher / Reseller | Verso Books |
| Format | paperback |
Media Reviews
"Lowy's close reading.follows Benjamin's text thesis-by-thesis, bringing out the salient criticisms of orthodox Marxist discourse and highlighting the interruptions of this discourse, the interruption of the concept of time that is at tis foundation, through Benjamin's insertion of messianic time into the banality of progress" * Jewish Quarterly *
Sensitive to Benjamin's profound anxiety and the tragic vision of the world, Löwy traces the unfurling of this 'revolutionary melancholia,' which is haunted by the recurrence of disasters ... It is unusual to explore the depths of a text in this manner, but it is true that we have here the text of an exceptional thinker. * Le Monde *
Author's Bio
Michael Löwy isResearch Director of Sociology at the Centre National de la RechercheScientifique, Paris. His previous books include Redemption and Utopia: Liberation Judaism in Central Europe, Marxism in Latin America and The War of the Gods: Religion and Politics in Latin America.