Doing Justice

Three Essays on Walter Benjamin

Pablo Oyarzun, Stephen Gingerich

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English

Polity Press
04 September 2020

Literary studies: general; Philosophy; Western philosophy, from c 1900 -

Series: Critical South

Pablo Oyarzun is one of the foremost Benjamin scholars in Latin America. His writings have shaped the reception of Benjamin’s work in Latin America and have been central to the effort to identify the tasks and responsibilities of the kind of critical theory that would interrupt social violence.

In this book Oyarzun examines some of the key concepts in Benjamin’s work – including his concepts of translation, experience, history and storytelling – and relates them to his own systematic reflection on the nature and implications of ‘doing justice’. What is meant by the words ‘justice was done’? The passive voice is important here. On the one hand, justice does nothing: it is not an agent, it can only prevail or fail, and if it fails, it does so without limit. On the other hand, the passive voice alludes to the agents of an action while covering them up; the allusion is the masking of the identity and traces of the person who accomplishes the action. And this cover-up can be dangerous: it can cover-up the executioners, who are subjects that everyone can confirm anonymously, without their being recognized and without their wanting to be recognized. Justice, argues Oyarzun, can only be done in the active effort to do justice – or, as Benjamin would say, in the striving to turn the world into the highest good.

This book by one of Chile’s most distinguished philosophers will be of value to anyone interested in Benjamin’s work and in the development of critical theory in Latin America.

By: Pablo Oyarzun
Translated by: Stephen Gingerich
Imprint: Polity Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 213mm, Width: 137mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 272g
ISBN: 9781509541980
ISBN 10: 1509541985
Series: Critical South
Pages: 180
Publication Date: 04 September 2020
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Pablo Oyarzun is Professor of Philosophy and Aesthetics at the University of Chile.

Reviews for Doing Justice: Three Essays on Walter Benjamin

'Benjamin once wrote that The gate to justice is study. To this could now be added: The gate to the idea of justice is studying Pablo Oyarzun's Doing Justice. ' Professor Peter Fenves, Northwestern University