Walter Benjamin - Extrapolations

This book has two aims in mind: to show how some of Benjamin's European preoccupations of the 1920s and 1930s may have wider relevance to global cultures after his death in 1940; and how the transposition of his ideas to a wider contemporary context can transform our sense of his continued significance to our times. Respect for the rootedness of Benjaminian motifs in European cultures between the two World Wars is balanced in this book with recognition of their potential significance for cultures and societies outside Europe. Such transpositions can only be attempted on the basis of a thorough appreciation of the historicity that ties his works to their times, and with a steady conviction that the resilience evident in the afterlife of his thoughts continues to provide intimations of what might otherwise elude articulation.