Barbarism/modernity : notes on barbarism

There is no document of civilization which is not at the same time a document of barbarism.' Walter Benjamin's dictum from the 'Theses on the philosophy of history' has become a commonplace of critical theory, but the idea of barbarism remains obscure and unspecified. In its most general sense, the word signifies slavery, class exploitation or any other brutal system of social domination. Benjamin associates it with the 'horror' felt in contemplating 'cultural treasures' that 'owe their existence' not only to 'great minds and talents' but to the 'anonymous toil of their contemporaries'. So general is his understanding of the term that he makes a transhistorical claim for its validity; all documents of civilization are documents of barbarism in all places and at all times. This article argues that such an observation can be made only from the standpoint of modernity. If Benjamin makes a universal claim for the rapprochement of barbarism and civilization it is a specifically modern claim. As such, it provides the starting point for my investigation, from a cultural perspective, of the work performed by barbarism in modernity.