An analytical study on the migration of Sartrean existentialism into Turkey through translation

Abstract

The central concern of this thesis is to explore the role played by translation when a philosophical theory moves across cultural and linguistic boundaries. The study reveals the double role of translation in this migration, both "indicative" and "formative". (Susam-Sarajeva 2002 : 10) While translation together with other related "rewritings" allows us an insight into the mechanisms of the receiving system, it also contributes greatly to the image formation of the writer as well as to the formation of a local discourse.The thesis presents an account of the reception of existentialism in Turkey from the late 1940s to the present. Referring particularly to Jean-Paul Sartre's nonfiction works translated into Turkish and to the indigenous writings on Sartre and existentialism, and to extratextual material accompanying translations as well, the changing images of Sartre in Turkey are displayed. Issues of terminology and retranslation in the transfer of Sartre's texts are also focused on.