Citation as Incitation: The Political Agenda of the Passagenarbeit

What is “Das Passagen-Werk”? What we have is a massive collection of fragments, tantalizing but unwieldy, a collection that could give rise to a number of alternative models. It cannot be called aWerk, although it was undoubtedly conceived in view of one. At the same time, it was in ongoing dialogue with the essays of the thirties, essays that may well be considered finished works. Thus, it is not inappropriate to look for what might be termed “the idea the Passagen,” though it would be mistaken to suggest that Benjamin’s own conception of it might be recovered or reconstituted.