Violence as Expression. The impact of Leibniz and the Baroque on Walter Benjamin’s Political Thought

This article explores the influence of G. W. Leibniz in Walter Benjamin’s political texts, with a focus on his Towards a Critique of Violence on the centennial of its appearance. It argues that Benjamin’s concepts are grounded on linguistic, metaphysical and epistemological structures that were common during the Baroque, and where the notion of expression plays a key role. Furthermore, the paper provides a web of sources for understanding Benjamin’s direct and indirect reception of Leibniz and his peculiar application to reflect on modern problems. Ultimately, this article aims to illuminate elements of the Benjaminian text that have been neglected or obscured, by bringing it closer to its origins, and going beyond the mystical remarks that have been attached to it. 

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