Kursbeschreibung

Course language: English

Target Group:

Doctoral researchers of all faculties.

Lecture:

Prof.in Dr. Christine Blättler

First Meeting:

Tuesday, April 28th, 2026, 04:00 a.m. - 05:30 p.m.: Leibnizstr. 4, 1st Floor, Room 07

The following dates for this event are to be fixed at the first meeting.

Workshop description:

In this course, we will explore the relationship between translation and knowledge through the work of Henri Meschonnic (1932–2009), a French theorist and translator who remains largely unknown outside of France. In his writings, Meschonnic critically engages with structuralist approaches, yet he opposes a conception of translation that would merely transfer information from a source language to a target language. His theory of translation is based on the interplay between, among others, language and the subject, linguistic theory and the practice of criticism, and the theory and practice of translation itself. Focusing on the epistemological dimension of translation we will explore questions such as: What happens in the process of understanding when one translates from a foreign language into one’s own? How does linguistic diversity relate to the shared body of knowledge within a field of research? And conversely: What knowledge is lost when research discourses are articulated in only one language?

The course is structured over two semesters, and a master class on the topic is planned for the end of the summer semester 2027, too. It is also possible to take the course in just one of the two semesters.

Text base:

The Henri Meschonnic Reader, ed. by Marko Pajevic, Edinburgh University Press 2019, 2021 (copies will be available).

Registration:

Our courses are avilable via the booking portal of Kiel University's Continuing Professional Development Center. You will find them listed under the category  Exclusively for Doctoral Researchers. Courses within this category are part of the Graduate Center's qualification program. They are free of charge for doctoral researchers who are registered with the Graduate Center. To get access to these courses you must be register with the Graduate Center, here.

Registrations are welcome until October, 27th, 2026.

Organizational details:

•    Please note the data protection statement of the Graduate Center.

If you have questions before the first meeting please contact per E-Mail an Frau Prof. Dr. Christine Blättler, Philosophisches Seminar.