关键词: 本雅明, 收藏, 媒体考古学, 新电影史学

Abstract: This paper endeavors to understand Benjamins reformulated historical materialism and explore its potential to inform and set the theoretical parameters of historiographical discourses and practices in film and media. It focuses on the concept of “collection”, one of the key concepts of Benjamins materiality history in terms of three steps involving in collecting: first, to discover and gather the objects; second, to store and organize; third, to appreciate and play.Then it observes the historiographical practices of media archaeologists, a group of new film/media historian who demonstrate the highest similarity to the Benjaminian collectorhistorian. It is argued that media archaeologists are Edward Fuchslike paradoxical figures: while initiating a new revolutionary historical theory to critique and differentiate themselves from old historians, they cannot overcome the old dogmatic historical styles and historiographical methods in practices. The Edward Fuchslike paradoxical media archaeologists thus become the embodiment of the dilemma of Benjaminian historical materialism or even new historicism at large.

Key words: Benjamin, collection, media archeology, new film/media historiography