Project Title: Trans/lation: Translation, Queerness, and Eco-Criticism
Project Description: My research is a theoretical exploration of translation, particularly through the practice of translating Mandarin and Spanish language poetry. I am interested in the parallels between translation and queer/gender theory. As an example, given the prominence of reproductive metaphors in translation theory, I consider how “mother” as queer, nonbiological process of kinmaking “troubles” translation-as-reproduction. This research engages deeply with contemporary criticism of Sinophone poetry translation, innovations in queer theory from figures like Sophie Lewis, Jack Halberstam, and Judith Butler, classic theory of translation from Derrida, Benjamin, and De Man, authors such as Lu Xun, Qu Qiubai, and Bei Dao, and contemporary eco-criticism, particularly from Carolyn Fornoff, Nicole Seymour, and Sylvia Federici.