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In:Translation Studies between Disciplines and Practices
Edited by Luc van Doorslaer and Yves Gambier
[Benjamins Translation Library 174] 2026
► pp. 165–186

Chapter 9
Anthropology and translation (studies)

Crossing borders and creating spaces

 | University of Graz | University of Sherbrooke
 | University of Graz
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
This chapter explores the intersections between anthropology and translation studies, emphasizing their shared concern with “translation” as a conceptual, methodological, and heuristic tool. The chapter sets out to examine notions of translation within anthropology, particularly its role in addressing the crisis of representation and its implications for anthropologists’ efforts to portray (close and distant) cultural realities. It then moves to showcasing how translation studies adopted anthropological positions on translation, such as those related to the writing culture debate and how this reception has informed the field’s so-called cultural turn. In a final part, drawing on relational art projects as a case study, the authors illustrate how translation functions as a practice of meaning-making, fostering alliances across diverse actors and disciplines. The chapter concludes by advocating for continued interdisciplinary exchanges, positioning translation as a dynamic lens for understanding cultural interactions, ethical dilemmas, and collaborative forms of knowledge production.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • Judith Laister
    • Rafael Schögler
  • 2.Translation and the crisis of representation
  • 3.Translation as heuristic in anthropological research
  • Author queries
  • Notes
  • References
References (51)
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