The relevance of the Bewußtseins-Industrie to the essayistic oeuvre of Hans Magnus Enzensberger
Abstract
English: With an interest in issues relating to the role of literature in the socio-political context,
Hans Magnus Enzensberger uses the Bewußtseins-Industrie in many of his texts as an
analytical construct to describe the way in which society functions. This becomes evident
particularly in essays in which he deals directly with social aspects. In both his poetics
and his creative work this problematic issue is often present too. The purpose of this essay
is to trace succinctly the roots of Enzensberger’s Bewußtseins-Industrie to some aspects
of the Kulturindustrie of Theodor W Adorno, and then to describe the key position which
this notion occupies in his essayistic oeuvre. Afrikaans: As iemand wat hom bemoei met vrae rondom die rol van literatuur in die sosiopolitieke
konteks, maak skrywer Hans Magnus Enzensberger in verskeie tekste gebruik
van die Bewußtseins-Industrie as analitiese konstruk ten einde die wyse waarop die maatskappy
funksioneer, te beskryf. Dit word veral sigbaar in essays waarin maatskaplike
aspekte direk aangespreek word, maar ook in sy poëtika en kreatiewe werk is die teenwoordigheid
van hierdie problematiek dikwels sigbaar. Die doel van hierdie artikel is
om vlugtig die wortels van Enzensberger se Bewußtseins-Industrie in aspekte van die Kulturindustrie
van Theodor W Adorno na te spoor, en vervolgens die sentrale posisie wat
dit in sy essayistiese oeuvre inneem, te beskryf.