Translation and the Political Economy of Global Knowledge Production

The Case of Translating Contemporary Arab Thought

Authors

  • Fuad Rayyan Arab American University
  • Mohammad Thawabteh United Arab Emirates University; Al-Quds University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2025.1284

Keywords:

Contemporary Arab Thought, Center-Periphery, World-Systems Theory, World Translation System, Political Economy, Knowledge Production

Abstract

The translation of contemporary Arab thought has received scant scholarly attention in recent translation theory. This paper explores the status of translating contemporary Arab thought, offering a macro socio-economic analysis based on the basic assumption that translation forms a global system. Translation production and reception processes occur between asymmetric languages in an interdependent “world translation system,” organized by a core-periphery model with hypercentral, central, semi-central, and peripheral languages. The world-system has created an “international division of labor” in knowledge production, impacting the demand for certain languages and texts while neglecting others. The paper further examines the Arab nation’s position in the world-system, contextualizes knowledge production, language, and translation in its peripheral position which largely reflect its peripheral position. It scrutinizes the translation landscape of contemporary Arab thought English translations of books by eighteen contemporary Arab thinkers, analyzing volume, themes, publishers, and sponsorship. The paper employs reasonably straightforward theoretical-methodological approaches, with the Amazon website serving as the primary data source. The paper concludes that the characteristics of translating contemporary Arab thought are essentially a reflection of the Arab nation’s and Arabic language’s position in the global system and mostly confirm the characteristics of the world translation system.

Author Biography

Mohammad Thawabteh , United Arab Emirates University; Al-Quds University

Mohammad Thawabteh earned his PhD in Translation and Intercultural Studies from Universidad de Granada, Spain in 2007. He is Professor of Translation at Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Occupied Palestine. He has taught translation at undergraduate and graduate levels at Al-Quds University since 1999. He was Chair of the department (2011-2012) and Coordinator of MA Translation and Interpreting Programme (2010-2013). His research interests include Audiovisual Translation, Translator Training, Translation Technology, Translation Studies, Pragmatics, Cultural Studies and Discourse analysis. 

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Published

2025-04-17

How to Cite

Rayyan, F., & Thawabteh , M. (2025). Translation and the Political Economy of Global Knowledge Production: The Case of Translating Contemporary Arab Thought. Journal of World-Systems Research, 31(1), 373–390. https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2025.1284

Issue

Vol. 31 No. 1 (2025): Special Issue on Global Disasters and World Society

Section

Research Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Fuad Rayyan, Mohammad Thawabteh

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