Benjamin’s concept of redemption fused Jewish Messianism with secular socialist revolution

Evidence

When he wrote these words, in the mid-1920s, Benjamin was poised between Jewish Messianism, from which he drew his concept of redemption, and revolutionary socialism. As his commitment to albeit an idiosyncratic variant of Marxism strengthened, Benjamin came to see redemption more and more as a secular event — socialist revolution, although the concept never quite lost its original religious meaning. — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism, 638

Categorization

• XREF: Directly relevant to Jameson’s use of Benjamin in Postmodernism, or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism — a key site for Callinicos’s counterargument. — connects to: Benjamin secularized Jewish messianism into his Marxist theory of revolutionary time — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination: A History…, 600; Separating chosenness from Messianic hope produced secular political fanaticism; The Institute pushed Benjamin toward secularism rather than theology — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination: A History…, 602 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Benjamin secularized Jewish messianism into his Marxist theory of revolutionary time #corroborates (0.95) — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 600
• The Institute pushed Benjamin toward secularism rather than theology #complicates (0.80) — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 602
• Separating chosenness from Messianic hope produced secular political fanaticism #complicates (0.75)