Benjamin for Architects

Walter Benjamin has become a decisive reference point for a whole range of critical disciplines, as he constructed a unique and provocative synthesis of aesthetics, politics and philosophy.

Examining Benjamin’s contributions to cultural criticism in relation to the works of Max Ernst, Adolf Loos, Le Corbusier and Sigfried Giedion, this book also situates Benjamin’s work within more recent developments in architecture and urbanism.

This is a concise, coherent account of the relevance of Walter Benjamin’s writings to architects, locating Benjamin’s critical work within the context of contemporary architecture and urbanism.

Brian Elliott currently teaches philosophy at Oregon State and Portland State University. His recent book Constructing Community (Rowman & Littlefield, 2010) is an exploration of three contemporary theories of community in light of currently influential approaches to urban development across liberal democracies.