Translation and the making of history: The objectification of Mao Zedong
Translation and the making of history: The objectification of Mao Zedong
Author(s): Michael SharkeySubject(s): Non-European Philosophy, Political Theory, History of ideas, Political history, Other Language Literature, Translation Studies, Philosophy of History
Published by: SAV - Slovenská akadémia vied - Ústav svetovej literatúry
Keywords: Objectification; Translation and history; Translation and knowledge; Translation of Mao Zedong; Academic paratext and translation
Summary/Abstract: This study looks at translations of Mao Zedong produced as part of the Mao Writings Project (MWP) at Brown University in order to explore how translation, as a step in the production of global historical knowledge, transforms authors and their texts into historical objects. As the MWP’s editors and translators instrumentalise Mao for their own historical purposes, the historical narratives that Mao sought to establish in his writings are undermined and even supplanted, and what he says, in both substance and style, comes to reflect the sensibilities and priorities of his translators.
Journal: World Literature Studies
- Issue Year: 18/2026
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 28-40
- Page Count: 13
- Language: English
