MYTH AND RELIGION IN WALTER BENJAMIN'S INTERPRETATION OF CAPITALIST MODERNITY

The article analyzes Walter Benjamin's interpretation of capitalist modernity as set forth in Capitalism as Religion. It inquires into the religious character of capitalism and shows that the initial elaboration of capitalism in terms of religion gave way to a complementary approach in terms of mythical forces. While this shift is already visible in Capitalism as Religion, it becomes clear in the Arcades Project, with the introduction of the concept of the "ever selfsame" [immergleich] to describe the dynamics of the capitalist mode of production and the experience of history.