Interlingual Relations: Global Politics in a Polyglot World - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0472057863 ISBN 13: 9780472057863

Publisher: University of Michigan Press, 2026

Synopsis

International politics is often conducted in two languages or more, and since no two languages are exactly the same, what is possible to say in one language may be impossible to say in another. Translation is at the heart of global politics, and interlingual relations traverse time, space, culture, and state borders. Interlingual Relations builds on emergent literature on translation in International Relations to propose a unique research agenda for scholars of global politics, offering multiple directions and sets of principles for sustained study. The contributors use various methodologies to explore these interfaces and encounters in different sites, bringing together multiple subfields, approaches, and disciplinary paradigms across IR’s history. Together they offer a more truly global perspective on international affairs, going beyond the hegemony of English to demonstrate the interconnectedness between “high” politics and everyday life. They show the role of translation in global politics as one of world-making, whereby social roles, rules, and responsibilities establish the semblance of order despite not sounding or meaning the same to all actors. In establishing Interlingual Relations as a foundational part of IR, the book offers another key to studying global interactions and the high political stakes in the theories, methods, and ethics of translation.

About this title

About the Author

Mauro José Caraccioli is Associate Professor of Political Science and Core Faculty in the ASPECT Program at Virginia Tech.
Einar Wigen is Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oslo.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Michigan Press
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0472057863
• ISBN 13: 9780472057863
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320
• Editor: Caraccioli Mauro José, Wigen Einar