Scholarly Article
The forest in the age of its technological reproducibility: Benjaminian reflections within the Massane forest
Fauché, Marine
2025-12-01 · Life and Environment · Sorbonne Université
Abstract
This field philosophy reflection attempts to initiate a dialogue between the conservation decisions of the French Massane forest and some of the ideas of the German philosopher Walter Benjamin (1892-1940). It begins by justifying the choice of Benjamin as a relevant thinker for this endeavour in field philosophy. It then connects two of his reflections to the different issues relating to the conservation of the Massane Reserve. Firstly, the article considers the relevance of Benjamin's conception of history set forth in his essay On the Concept of History (2005 [1942]) in order to shed light on the management choices of the Massane Reserve. Secondly, the article draws on some of his aesthetic reflections presented in his famous essay entitled The Work of Art by the Age of its Technological Reproducibility (2008 [1935] to reflect on the testimonial value of this reserve, as the reserve's management strategy is based on a non-interventionist approach. This article also shares a few critical perspectivesoffered by Benjamin's ideas with respect to the management choices used in other reserves that rely on genetic assistance for conservation purposes.
Keywords
MASSANE, CONSERVATION, WITNESS FOREST, CLIMATE REFUGES, NON-INTERVENTIONIST APPROACH, FIELD PHILOSOPHY, WALTER BENJAMIN, ENVIRONMENTAL HUMANITIES
Citation Details
Life and Environment