At the Crossroads between Magic and Positivism: Walter Benjamin and
Anthropology
An International Symposium at the University of Oxford, 1-3 September 2009
'Der unmittelbare Rückschluss von der Weinsteuer auf [Baudelaires] "L'Ame du
vin" schiebt den Phänomenen eben jene Art von Spontaneität, Handgreiflichkeit
und Dichte zu, deren sie im Kapitalismus sich begeben haben. In dieser Art des
unmittelbaren, fast möchte ich wiederum sagen, des anthropologischen
Materialismus steckt ein tief romantisches Element […]. [S]o könnte man
sagen, die Arbeit sei am Kreuzweg von Magie und Positivismus angesiedelt.'
(Adorno, Benjamin, Briefwechsel, 368)
'The direct connection drawn between the wine tax and [Baudelaire's] "L'Ame
du vin" ascribes to phenomena the very spontaneity, tangibility, and density
that capitalism has stripped from them. In this kind of unmediated – I would
almost say anthropological – materialism lurks a deeply Romantic element […].
[O]ne might say that [your] work has situated itself at the cross roads of
magic and positivism.'
(Benjamin, Selected Works, Vol. 4, 101-2)
As Theodor Adorno’s response to Walter Benjamin’s Paris of the Second Empire
in Baudelaire implies, anthropology plays a complex role in Benjamin’s writings,
where it is situated between such divergent forces as materialism and
romanticism, positivism and magic. This anthropological dimension of Benjamin’s
approach is frequently cited or evoked; ‘What is the effect of industrial-
capitalist technology on the organization of the human senses, and how does
it affect the conditions of experience and agency, the ability to see
connections and contradictions, remember the past, and imagine a (different)
future?’ (Miriam Hansen). However, the possible roots and implications of this
method still merit more detailed attention. To what extent was Benjamin (as a
reviewer and researcher) familiar with current anthropological debates? What
was the focus of his engagement, and how did it influence his own writings
and methodology? Does Benjamin’s interest in the discipline change in line with
his increasing focus on political questions, or does anthropology, on the
contrary, provide a sense of continuity between the ‘early’ Benjamin and his
later works? What role did anthropology play in contemporary political and
intellectual debates, and to what extend did Benjamin participate in and
contribute to such discussions?
The symposium, part of the Oxford-Princeton Research Partnership BENJAMIN
ENCOUNTERS, will pursue the links between Benjamin and anthropology from
three connected points of view: in addition to the function and development
of anthropology in Benjamin’s own writings, it will also enquire into the impact
of anthropological research on Benjamin’s wider context (e.g., the Frankfurt
School), as well as into Benjamin’s own contributions to ongoing
anthropological debates.
To enable a broad and interdisciplinary discussion, we invite proposals from
researchers working in literary studies, philosophy and anthropology, but also
in fields such as history, politics, art history, cultural and media studies.
Possible questions to be addressed include:
- Benjamin’s anthropological materialism
- anthropology and collecting: in search of the object
- Benjamin as a commentator on the history of anthropology
- anthropology at the crossroads of magic and positivism
- the anthropological foundations of language
- the child, toys and education
- the roots of civilisation
- an anthropology of literature, arts and the media
- political anthropology: Benjamin’s Marxism
- anthropology and religion
The deadline for proposal is 27 April 2009. Proposals for 30-minute papers (in
English) should be sent to Carolin Duttlinger ([log in to unmask])
or Tony Phelan ([log in to unmask]), who can also provide further
information.
|