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Translation in Knowledge, Knowledge in Translation
Edited by Rocío G. Sumillera, Jan Surman and Katharina Kühn
[Benjamins Translation Library 154] 2020
► pp. 59–80

Chapter 3
Travelling knowledge in nineteenth-century science

Jacob Moleschott and materialism in translation

 | University of Siegen
Focusing on the work of the materialist Jacob Moleschott (’s-Hertogenbosch 1822-Rome 1893), this chapter argues for the fundamental role played by translation in the development and dissemination of scientific knowledge and scientific epistemology in nineteenth-century Europe, with Moleschott’s transnational biography illustrating practices of translation as well as the dynamics of negotiation and circulation of knowledge. Three aspects that exemplify processes of translation will be considered: first, Moleschott’s work as a translator (e.g. of Gerrit Jan Mulder) and the translation of his work by Cesare Lombroso; second, his role as a disseminator, involving the transfer of concepts between science and politics; and third, his engagement in practices of cultural translation between disciplines and nation-states.
Keywords: Jacob Moleschott, materialism, epistemology, translation, politics, science, Italy, The Netherlands, Germany, travelling knowledge
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.From materialism to criminal anthropology: Cesare Lombroso translates Moleschott
  • 3.Translation and the origins of Moleschott’s materialism
  • 4.Translation, epistemology, and popularisation
  • 5.Translating science into politics
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 29 October 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.154.03men
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