Translational Anthropology

German 16^th Century Translations of Homer and Ovid from the Perspective of Intersectionality Research

Spreng’s translation of the
‘Metamorphoses’ of Ovid, 1563

Translations are considered as anthropological key texts that are made by humans for humans, and negotiate human matters. This constitutes the fundamental hypothesis of the project. It combines numerous fields of research: the cultural theory of translation, the social theory of intersectionality and the literary study of humanism. German 16^th century translations of Homer and Ovid will be examined with regard to negotiations of power relations, the intersections of identity categories, and the mediation of conventions.

The project, affiliated with the TU Braunschweig, is divided into two closely interrelated parts:

a.) the project manager, Prof Dr Regina Toepfer, discusses the theoretical requirements of an anthropological concept of translation, using Early New High German translations of Ovid as an example;

b.) the research assistant, Jennifer Hagedorn, M.A., systematically analyses the intersection of gender, status, origin, religion, sexuality, and dis/ability in the ‘Iliad’ and ‘Odyssey’.