Abstract
The
central
premise
of
this
thesis
is
that
translation
has
acquired
a
new
meaning
in
so-­-
called
postcolonial
times
and
that
this
transformation
calls
forth
a
renewal
of
the
philosophical
conceptualisation
of
translation.
I
begin
by
distinguising
between
two
different
philosophical
genealogies
of
translation
in
modern
European
philosophy.
The
first
is
a
Romantic
and
hermeneutic
lineage,
in
which
translation
is
closely
bound
to
the
movement
of
culture
(Bildung),
and
conceived
of
as
an
'experience
of
the
foreign'.
The
second
is
a
relational
genealogy
of
translation,
in
which
translation
is
a
transformation
without
teleology,
yet
systematically-­-oriented.
The
thesis
reconstructs
this
alternative
concept
through
a
parallel
reading
of
Walter
Benjamin's
and
Michel
Serres'
works
on
translation,
contending
that
Leibniz's
relational
metaphysics
proved
a
crucial
resource
for
both
of
them.
Albeit
reflecting
on
different
objects
(the
sciences
and
the
work
of
art),
these
two
authors
converge
in
thinking
translation
as
a
relation
and
a
method,
associating
translation
with
their
critique
of
epistemology.
By
drawing
on
a
generalised
metaphysics
of
language,
they
both
reflect
on
translation
as
a
transformation
in
the
objective
domain,
hence
as
a
form
of
historicity.
The
thesis
is
composed
of
three
autonomous
yet
convergent
parts.
The
first
part
operates
as
a
backdrop
to
the
whole
by
expounding
the
need
for
locating
the
philosophy
of
translation
outside
of
the
ethics
of
alterity.
It
contends
that
the
link
made
between
linguistic
difference
and
difference
'as
such'
is
often
insufficiently
mediated.
The
second
part
examines
Serres'
early
works,
explicating
his
philosophy
of
translation
in
close
connexion
with
the
evolution
of
his
structuralism,
from
his
doctoral
work
on
Leibniz
(1968)
to
the
last
of
the
Hermès
series:
Le
passage
du
Nord-­-Ouest
(1980).
The
third
part
investigates
Benjamin's
philosophy
of
translation
in
light
of
his
metaphysics
of
language,
following
his
concepts
of
the
'afterlife'
as
a
thread
through
his
early
and
later
works.
Finally,
the
conclusion
propounds
the
intrinsic
connexion
that
holds
between
the
translation
problem,
Leibnizianism
and
'decentered
epistemologies'.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Qualification | Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) |
| Awarding Institution |
|
| Supervisors/Advisors |
|
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - Oct 2015 |
Bibliographical note
Physical Location: This item is held in stock at Kingston University library.Keywords
- Philosophy
PhD type
- Standard route