Melissa Hardie on Walter Benjamin
5 October 2006
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Benjamin |
In his theses on the concept of history, Walter Benjamin wrote that "the 'state of emergency' in which we live is not the exception but the rule."
In this lecture, Dr. Melissa Hardie of the University of Sydney's Department of English explores Benjamin's life to consider how his work may help us in understanding the current "state of emergency" in which we, in the postcolonial and imaginary west, find ourselves.
On the way she will argue that Benjamin offers a fruitful paradigm for considering both the "networked" society and the "war on terror," as well as liberated thought and our scholarly passions.
This lecture was part of the Key Thinkers series. Upcoming lectures in the series:
11 October - Norbert Elias
18 October - Karl Marx
Contact: Nicholas Haskins
Phone: 9036 7219
Email:nicholas.haskins@rihss.usyd.edu.au