New publication: "The Sociology of Translation and the Politics of Sustainability: Explorations Across Cultures and Natures"

We celebrate the publication of "The Sociology of Translation and the Politics of Sustainability: Explorations Across Cultures and Natures," a collaborative work emerging from the CAS project "The Body in Translation" led by professors John Ødemark and Eivind Engebretsen back in 2019/2020.

The Sociology of Translation and the Politics of Sustainability

The recent publication of "The Sociology of Translation and the Politics of Sustainability: Explorations Across Cultures and Natures," edited by John Ødemark, Åmund Norum Resløkken, Ida Lillehagen, and Eivind Engebretsen, marks a significant milestone in the fields of medical humanities and knowledge translation. This book arises from the CAS project "The Body in Translation: Historicising and Reinventing Medical Humanities and Knowledge Translation," led by Professors John Ødemark and Eivind Engebretsen from the University of Oslo, during 2019/2020.

John Ødemark
John Ødemark, Professor of Cultural History at the University of Oslo. Photo: Camilla K. Elmar / CAS

The book explores the interactions between translation studies, cultural history of knowledge, and Science and Technology Studies. It investigates translation practices in various contexts with sustainability as a central theme. Furthermore, the publication revisits foundational concepts from intellectual traditions and examines their relationship to the Sociology of Translation.

The conception of the book occurred during the editors' tenure at CAS, drawing on their project's comprehensive study of "translation" from historical, cultural, and theoretical perspectives. The project sought to bridge the divide between the humanities and medical sciences by delving into the complex relationships between humanity and nature, as well as between medicine and the humanities, with a particular emphasis on "translation" as a key concept. By examining translation practices in medicine and the humanities, the project endeavoured to transform the field of medical humanities into a dynamic, cross-

Eivind Engebretsen
Professor Eivind Engebretsen. Photo: Camilla K. Elmar / CAS

disciplinary contact zone. The project's interdisciplinary approach merged cultural history and the history of science with knowledge translation, tackling one of the major issues in contemporary medicine. The team addressed the concept of "translation" from genealogical, comparative, and theoretical angles, aiming to historicize and advance contemporary medical knowledge translation through humanistic theories of translation and case studies from the early modern period.

Read our alumni spotlight interview with Eivind Engebretsen here >

Read more about the project here >
 

Published 22 February 2024, 1:07 | Last edited 22 February 2024, 1:18