ABSTRACT
Even the most cursory glance at Bloch’s texts will reveal the sheer amount of space he devotes to cultural analysis. Not only does he dedicate many chapters and sections of his writings to music, literature, theatre and the like; but cultural allusions also abound in material which ostensibly deals with other matters entirely. Culture is one of the great themes of Bloch’s work; in this respect, he is at one with the general ‘Western Marxist’ understanding that the cultural realm sensitively registers the complex contradictions of social life, and that analysis of this sphere can provide genuine and profound insight into the fundamental dynamics of society and history. Bloch’s attempts to grapple with culture pre-date his Marxism. In his early work, which culminated in G&t der Utopie (Spirit of Utopia, 1918), he sought to combine cultural analysis with another important and abiding theme, religion, in an anatomy of the utopian impulse. Simply put, his claim was that significant works of art embody powerful human aspirations and are therefore in the very vanguard of utopian forms; and although his subsequent Marxism led to many changes in his analyses of cultural forms, this basic belief remained undimmed. These subsequent developments offered an increasingly sophisticated analysis of the modalities of culture. The issues with which he deals include the production of culture; the historical forms of culture; the nature of cultural heritage, and the role of popular culture, together with specific analyses of disciplines, art forms and genres. Ultimately all these analyses are informed by his underlying utopian project: that the true meaning of cultural history lies in the future.
