The current essay deals with analysis of Benjamin’s insightful observation about Western civilization which says, There is no document of civilization, which is not at the same time a document of barbarism” (Benjamin, 1969). First of all, it is necessary to consider the general context of his Theses on the Philosophy of History where this phrase occurs (Benjamin, 1969, 33). Benjamin follows Marxist tradition of criticizing Western culture and civilization; however, he combines it with Judaic Messianic thrill.
According to Benjamin, the present generation of oppressed maintains the memory and cherished liberating dreams of past generations, and this stimulates their social activism. The civilization and society, within which these activities are realized can be characterized both by economic and cultural dominance over Other, but this dominance is repressive on people as it imposes egoist bourgeois values, morality, the cult of money and success (Benjamin, 1969, 135). All saint and divine is neglected and civilization ruins its own foundations. Hence, crisis of Western culture and society, which are conceptualized by Walter Benjamin, may be described as the main sources of his paradoxical claim.
However, taken in a general context of political and artistic thought of early 20th century epoch, this claim resonates with those of other talented writers, scholars and scientists such as S. Freud, F. Kafka, J. Conrad, T.W. Adorno, M. Horkheimer and more others.
Among first S. Freud postulates increasing ‘discontents with culture’, which becomes dominated by the market stereotypes, demands and imperatives. It ruins human subjectivity and throws it into the hands of ‘unconscious’ forces which manipulate it (Freud, 2002).
By the same token, T.W. Adorno, impressed by the ugly pictures of Holocaust and WW2, comes forth with paradoxical claim that rationality, characteristic of Western civilization is similar to barbarism – “Myth is already Enlightenment and Enlightenment is continuation of myth” (Adorno and Horkheimer, 1994, 35). According to Adorno and Horkheimer, the rationalistic Reason peculiar to the Western civilization seeks to control nature, society and people living in it and is repressive force, which dehumanizes relations between people and transforms them into mere artifacts. In this view, German fascism, reincarnated in concentration camps with planned massacre of the millions of ordinary people, is at the same time a reflection of Western civilization’s rationality and barbarism, understood as irrational impulse towards destruction. Rationality in this case means using the advantages and know-how of scientific civilization in immoral ends.
Therefore, there is no denying the importance of the fact that the repercussions of Benjamin’s claim may be found in the thought of other thinkers, which in their turn may be characterized as general intellectual climate of that epoch. The repercussions of Benjamin’s thought may be also found in various works of art including literary works and movies. In the current analysis of the barbaric features of Western civilization the due attention will be paid to Conrad and Kafka’s works as well as Werner Herzog and Truffaut films.
Western colonialism and ugly rationality: the Heart of Darkness and Metamorphosis
Benjamin’s critique of Western barbarism may be also referred to the critique of colonialism and imperial domination over third world peoples. The devastation of non-western civilization such as took place in Northern America (Indians) and Africa (indigenous people) should be conceptualized in the context of rational and expansionist barbarism peculiar to Western societies, which particularly developed in racist and nationalist theories. Barbarians such as vandals also demolished the products of civilization because they thought they were inferior and alien to their own culture. The inability to understand and communicate with Other, of course, is one of the major features of barbarianism. Conrad showed this in a picturesque manner in his famous novel Heart of Darkness, where a talented man, who is an object of envy and adoration by many other people, because he represents all virtues of intellectual civilization, is at the same time a deep-rooted racist and chauvinist hating indigenous people of Africa for their non-Western traditions and customs (Conrad, 1996). His famous exclamation: “Exterminate all the brutes” seem to deeply contrast Western values, however if taken objectively, it represents basic cultural contradictions of Western civilization and its inherent barbarism (Conrad, 1996, 156).
Kafka’s Metamorphosis is another reflection of inherent contradictions of Western culture. The Kafka’s novel narrates strange story of commercial traveler who has ‘normal’ and ‘rational’ life performing his uniform duties, alienating himself from other people and loosing ability to feel and understand the world (Kafka,2006). Everything suddenly changes when he returns back home, but not as a human being, but as a bug. However, nobody seems to pay much attention to this metamorphosis. His parents adapt to new conditions as he does, get accustomed to his climbing on the ceiling and feeding him through the door chink. However, this Kafka’s novel has many interpretations; it is evident that it depicts the effects of deep cultural and social transformation in Western societies on human personality. The author’s appeal is understandable: human beings become increasingly indifferent and passive ‘insects’ adapting to repressive social institutions and relations.
Truffaut and Herzog’s movies and ‘documents of civilization’
Another perspective of the barbaric nature of civilization may be traced in Truffaut’s film Wild Child, which is based on real story of socializing of the mute (dumb and deaf) boy by French professor – Itard. The ‘wild boy’ has no social memory and interiorized mental patterns of behavior which are needed to work, communicate with people and have success (Wild Child, 1970). The dynamics of the movie comes about between civilized Paris life to which Itard tries to adapt the boy and his savage, but natural habits (Wild Child, 1970). By clashing these two contradictory worlds, Truffaut, in my view shows distinct features and similarities of both. Psychological and mental problems tied with adapting to new social conditions, depicted by Truffaut, are designed to show that civilized life contains much of evil which is ruining to human personality. Primitivism, which for so long time was an object of Western critique of ‘noble savages’ and underdeveloped nations, once and again proves to be a prejudiced category (Antliff and Leighten, 1995).
The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser by Werner Herzog seems to follow the same themes and mind maps. (Herzog, 1974). The clash and sudden meeting between wildness and civilization is again in the focus. And again, the barbaric elements of the latter are revealed. The main protagonist of the film Kaspar Hauser is a 17-years boy who spent all his childhood on the chain in the closed cell without any access to the outside world. One day, the stranger who supervised Kaspar, takes him out and teaches some phrases. The boy quickly becomes the object of curiosity and is shown in circus and other public places. The boy is treated like a mere toy to amuse ‘barbaric’ public which does not care about his future. The ‘wild boy’ is often beaten by brutal strangers and finally is stabbed in the chest and dies. The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser is also undoubtedly critical of ‘civilized barbarism’ which destructs everything alien and inconceivable (Herzog, 1974). In this sense, the Malouf’s book Remembering Babylon is very close to the analyzed movies. It depicts the boy raised by Australian aborigines and having difficult experience of adapting to white settlers’s society which considers him to be alien: “He was a parody of a white man.”( Malouf 1994, 39)
To top it all, we have analyzed primary examples of Benjamin’s idea in social sciences, philosophy, literature and cinematograph, and found out that his claim really has strong historical grounds and may be used as a starting point for understanding the current situation of highly developed Western civilization.
References
Adorno, Theodor & Horkheimer M. 1994. Dialectics of Enlightenment. London: Verso Books.
Antliff, Mark and Leighten, Patricia. 1995. Fifteen Primitive.
Benjamin, Walter. 1969. Illumination: Essays and Reflections. Schocken, first Schocken paperback edition.
Conrad, Joseph. 1996. The Heart of Darkness. Penguin Classics.
Freud, Sigmund. 2002. Civilization and Its Discontents. Penguin Classics.
Kafka, Franz. 2006. The Metamorphosis. Waking Lion Press.
Malouf, David. 1994. Remembering Babylon. London: Vintage.
Wild Child. DVD. Directed by Francois Truffaut, 1970, USA.
Enigma of Kaspar Hauser. Directed by Werner Herzog. 1974. West Germany.