MESSIANISM AND ITS RELATION TO THE TEACHING OF HISTORY - SOME THOUGHTS

Abstract

This article aims to analyze, mainly, the function and importance of the set of theses collectively called “Benjaminian Messianism” in the general context of the teaching of History. To this end, a bibliographic review of some of the main books and articles by and about Walter Benjamin was carried out, seeking to determine the appropriate course of action for historians and professors of the discipline, in the light of Benjamin's theses, given the context of impoverishment of acts of narrative and with a gradually greater influence of the so-called “history of the winners”, supported by educational institutions and the hegemonic mentality about History in the social environment. With this analysis, it is targeted to demonstrate, in the first place, the constant presence of allusions and glorifications to the march of the winners in the current form of the teaching of History, as well as the possibility of thinking about said area in a different way, that is, keeping in mind the countless social groups subordinated by this process and, finally, the need for dialogue between such theses and the process of teaching the historical discipline at all levels. In this way, the article seeks to highlight the inevitable humanization of History through Benjamin’s messianism, as well as the indispensability of such  phenomenon.