Walter Benjamin : a arte de pensar na cabeça dos outros

Abstract

This work tries to grasp on what foundations Walter Benjamin s proposal of a need of a politicizing of art lies upon. To do so, we ve focused, mainly but not only, on his 1930 s writings, because his production is explicitly engaged in a political perspective during this period. The fragmentary fashion of his work has forced us to build a constellation of elements to sustain our own interpretation, being: a) his very particular conception of History and the influence of this conception in the forms mankind has been producing, perceiving and comprehending itself throughout the years as well; b) the relationship between progress and changes within the production s conditions, both material and spiritual (or intellectual); mainly the deep transformations which have happened because of the overwhelming material development caused by Industrial Revolution; and c) the specifically political element which shows itself because of the previous ones: as soon as one can understand in what way the capitalism s progress has changed deeply the structure of human s experience in the world, as well as their way of comprehending this same world (within arts, philosophy, religion, etc.), one can, so, comprehend this Benjamin s demanding that not only the art , but the whole critical and intellectual production should drive itself into a politicized perspective.