Translational Anthropology. German 16th-Century Translations of Ancient Literature from the Perspective of Intersectionality Research

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Regina Toepfer
• Subject Area: German Medieval Studies (Medieval German Literature)
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 404907743

The project examines the reception of Antiquity, which is characteristic of Early Modern cultures of translation. The project is not restricted to the linguistic-literary level, since it also investigates the underlying normative and epistemic concepts. Translations are considered as anthropological key texts that are by humans for humans, and negotiate human matters. This constitutes the fundamental hypothesis of the project. It combines numerous fields of research: the cultural theory of translation, the social theory of intersectionality and the literary study of humanism. The objectives of this project are to outline the concept of a ‘translational anthropology‘, to make the theory of intersectionality applicable to the analysis of translations, and thereby to provide a conceptual contribution to the SPP 2130.During the first funding phase, the 16th-century German translations of the works of Homer and Ovid were examined with reference to the power relations they establish, the identity categories they form, and the norms they convey. In order to further outline the specificity of Early Modern translational anthropology, the second phase applies the developed methodology to other translations of antique texts, putting an increased focus on their social spaces of reception. Again, the project is composed of two closely interrelated parts: the first component project examines the German translations of comedies by Plautus and Terence, the second the German translations of the church father writings by Basil the Great and Jerome. Both component projects also include comparisons with other foreign-language translations. The change of genres complements the text corpus examined in the first phase: the dramatic and patristic texts are rooted in distinct cultural contexts and produce life designs and identities, which have no place in epic poetry. In terms of their institutional ties, the German translations extend the scope of examination to include the areas of school and stage as well as church and pulpit respectively. The intersectional analysis of gender, religion, class, age, ethnicity, education, sexuality, and dis/ability offers new interpretations of the Early Modern translations and their ancient pre-texts.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 2130: Cultures of Translation in Early Modern Times