Abstract:
This presentation will focus on the significance of translation of theory for the self-fashioning of a type of identity of the Japanese intellectual. After briefly outlining the significance of translation for Japanese modernity, the work of several translators of theory will be discussed. The study of the creative transformations accompanying the translations of T. Eagleton (Literary Theory), Ed. Said, G. Spivak and J. Derrida will provide a unique perspective to the Japanese intellectual as “translator”, a complex identity negotiating with issues of originality and commitment.
About the Speaker:
Dennitza Gabrakova is an assistant professor at the Department of Chinese, Translation and Linguistics of City University of Hong Kong. She is interested in the cultural and intellectual history of modern Japan and in postcolonial theory.