Community in Walter Benjamin’s Philosophy

This inaugural volume of New Benjamin Studies is dedicated to the concept of community.
By assembling contributions from both emerging and established international scholars, the volume offers a unique take on this crucial aspect of Walter Benjamin’s thinking. As the volume compellingly shows, community, for Benjamin, means both a critique of nationalism, militarism, and chauvinism, and an effort to forge new forms of solidarity. These diverse figures of community are explored against shifting historical backdrops (including two World Wars), and through Benjamin’s engagement with a wide range of interlocutors: from Shakespeare to Goethe and Wyneken. Community in Walter Benjamin’s Philosophy thus challenges readers to rethink the interplay of language, history, and politics for understanding what is common and collective in our lives today.
The volume features introductory remarks by Sigrid Weigel, as well as an exclusive interview with Irving Wohlfarth, offering fresh insights into Benjamin’s enduring relevance.