Introduction: The Politics of Translation in International Relations

The introduction to the volume situates the politics of translation in the theoretical and methodological landscape of International Relations (IR). It provides an outline of the conceptual framework deployed throughout the book and concludes with a road map to the volume. The chapter argues for an approach to translation as transformation, in contrast to approaches that emphasise an uncontested transfer or transplantation. This framework reconstructs the politics of translation. Translation makes international relations. The politics of translation is located in struggles for meaning, in rendering encounters and interactions tangible and legible. For instance, in processes of translation some actors are given voice and others silenced, and hierarchies are established and dismantled. The introductory chapter points to the relevance of translation as transformation for IR scholarship and in furthering theorization and empirical work.