Publications

Publication details [#26470]

Abdallah, Kristiina. 2014. The interface between Bourdieu’s habitus and Latour’s agency: the work trajectories of two Finnish translators. In Vorderobermeier, Gisella, ed. Remapping habitus in Translation Studies (Approaches to Translation Studies 40). Amsterdam: Rodopi. pp. 111–132.
Publication type
Article in jnl/bk
Publication language
English

Abstract

This paper revisits data gathered from longitudinal interviews with eight Finnish translators conducted between 2005 and 2011 for the purpose of the author’s PhD thesis. Here the author explores a new perspective, as the author analyses the roles and work trajectories of two of the eight translators by relying on Bourdieu’s concept of habitus and Latour’s notion of agency. Specifically, this analysis discusses the explanatory power of Bourdieu’s habitus by comparing it with Latour’s notion of agency put forth in his actor-network theory. Although the author focuses here only on two of the translators, she will touch upon the habitus and agency of the other six translators as well. The purpose of this is to complement the data limited in scope, by providing additional perspectives in the use of these two concepts while discussing translator’s work trajectories. It must be pointed out that author restricts her analysis to using habitus and agency solely as analytic tools; a wider application of Bourdieu’s and Latour’s theoretical frameworks is beyond the scope of this particular endeavor. The question the author poses are the following: What do the concepts of habitus and agency tell us about the roles and work trajectories of the translators in question? Does the concept of habitus bring added value to the analysis and, if so, what kind of value?
Source : Abstract in book