Walter Benjamin was a philosopher, an essayist, a literary critic and a social and cultural critic, who was far ahead of his own time, and who opened up new means of viewing and understanding the past as well as the present. He interpreted history from a philosophical perspective and his writings have led to a greater understanding of the fundamental transformations of the last century and for centuries to come. His influence on how history is now understood can not be underestimated. He put forward an alternative way of viewing history through imagery and film and he placed an emphasis on culture that nobody had previously. He also showed us how moments in the past should not be seen in an isolated sense but rather as part of a ‘constellation’ of such moments all through history.
Benjamin was one of the first historians to take the concept of mass culture seriously and in this he differed from other members of the Frankfurt school like Adorno who saw it as a false consciousness.......
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