Daniel Bensaïd: A Brief Introduction

Abstract

Daniel Bensaïd left a prolific intellectual production whose main concern was the discussion of revolutionary strategy and is inseparable from his militant experience. Bensaïd’s work is marked by a peculiar combination of a “classical Marxist” background and a turn towards a secularized messianism under the influence of Walter Benjamin. Bensaïd achieved a certain notoriety in the last decade of his life, although he occupied a marginal position in the French academic world. His voice gained increasing intellectual authority in the ranks of the international anticapitalist left although his works translated into English remain few. Since his death, interest in his legacy, still not yet in full bloom, has been steadily increasing and, slowly, publications on his work have been flourishing. This special issue deals with the Bensaïdian universe in a complementary way to the works already available and hopes to open new discussions about his legacy.