Figures of Relationality

What can critical theory tell us today about gender, the media and history? This book demon- strates that it has a great deal to offer if we approach it from a media reflexive standpoint and combine it with feminist and queer theory. Building on the works of Walter Benjamin and Alexander Kluge, it offers an updated perspective on debates surrounding visual culture, memory work, and the critique of repressive societal norms. The novelty lies in the approach: not only content is considered, but media practicessuch as photography, film, literature, mon- tage, collage and fragmentsand their aesthetics are examined as sites of political debate. The first part of the book focuses on Walter Benjamin. Drawing on his writings about changes in perception in modernity and a new way of seeing (Neues Sehen), it demonstrates how im- ages and visual culture influence our bodies and senses and the reasons why this has political implications. Benjamins texts and figures of thought (Denkfiguren) demonstrate how seeing is embodied, how memories persist as traces in the (collective) unconscious, and how visual cul- ture can reinforce or undermine societal norms. The quest to find figures and forms that reveal unexpected connections guides this research, allowing imaginations of gender and history to be seen in a new light. For example, Benjamins concept of Aura and his thoughts on the act of collecting (Album/Atlas) can be applied to everyday practices, like photography and cinema. The second part of the book is devoted to Alexander Kluge. His literary works, short films and montage techniques challenge conventional viewing and reception habits. Obstinacy, exit strat- egies, amateur film aesthetics and fragmentary storytelling play a special role in his work, providing forms that disrupt routines and offer new perspectives on German history. Although the media make history visible, they are never neutral. Through his multimedia experiments, Kluge reveals how the media functions and enables critical reflection on how history and gender relations are narratedand how one can free oneself from oppressive circumstances. This study fills a research gap by systematically intertwining the media-reflexive strand of crit- ical theory with (queer)feminist perspectives. This leads to methodological proposals, such as how (queer)feminist approaches can be expanded to include historical and media-theoretical questions, and how relational theoretical figures can transcend, subvert or disrupt the norms of the bourgeois subject. Who is it for? For anyone who wants to understand how visual culture and images of history shape our relationship with ourselves and the world, including students and researchers of cul- tural studies, media studies and history; readers of critical theory; and interested members of the public.