In Walter Benjamin’s "Theses on the Philosophy of History," the figure of the Angel of History stands as one of the most evocative symbols in modern critical thought. More than just an aesthetic metaphor, it embodies Benjamin's philosophical approach to history, historiography, and the dialectics of progress.
The Angel of History
The ninth thesis in Benjamin's "Theses on the Philosophy of History" describes the Angel of History looking back upon the past. It sees history as one continuous catastrophe, a heap of wreckage upon wreckage. The angel wishes to intervene, to awaken the dead and piece together what has been shattered by time passing. Yet, a storm from Paradise (often equated with progress) pushes the angel irresistibly into the future. The wind, blowing from Paradise, gets caught in its wings, preventing it from staying, moving, or repairing the destruction.
Of Angels and Progress
Central to Benjamin's depiction of the angel of history is a critique of the conventional notion of progress. In mainstream historiography, progress is often seen as linear, inevitable, and beneficial. But for Benjamin, the very notion of progress is implicated in the perpetuation of injustice. It not only forgets the many moments of oppression and suffering but also continually reproduces them.
The Angel of History, with its face turned to the past, laments this wreckage but is propelled forward by the storm of progress. In this sense, progress is not just passive forgetfulness but an active force preventing redemption and repair.
Messianic Time vs. Homogeneous Time
The image of the angel also ties into Benjamin's distinction between two types of time: homogeneous, empty time and messianic time. Traditional historicism, with its belief in continuous progress, operates within homogeneous time. Here, each moment is seen merely as a precursor to the next, with no inherent worth or significance of its own.
In contrast, messianic time disrupts this continuum. Every moment is viewed as a portal to redemption, laden with the potential for revolutionary change. The Angel of History, caught in the storm of progress, yearns for this form of time. It seeks to rescue the forgotten, the oppressed, and the defeated from the annals of homogeneous history and restore them to a time where their struggles gain meaning and urgency.
Memory, Redemption, and Historical Materialism
Benjamin's angel is not a passive observer but a symbol of a particular historical approach. To Benjamin, the task of the historian isn't merely to document the victors but to "brush history against the grain," retrieving moments of potential and resistance from the past's overwhelming catastrophe. By doing so, one could harness the revolutionary energies latent in these moments, giving them new life in the present struggle.
This form of historical materialism, infused with messianic redemption, places a responsibility on the present generation. Every generation has a "weak messianic power," a duty to remember, redeem, and reactivate the potentials of the past.