Centre for Translation Studies

05/05/2026, 17:00, Haus der Universität (BSR 2)

Nuria Molines Galarza (València), Guest Lecture
Moderation: Dr. Bettina Burger (HHU) 

Drawing on Derrida's concept of hauntology and the "spectral turn" in the humanities (del Pilar Blanco & Pereen), this lecture explores the spectral dimension of literature in both original and translated texts. First, it presents a hauntological analytical framework specifically suited for literary fiction. This framework proposes five interrelated dimensions through which spectral elements in literature can be examined (and thus translated): textual, structural, thematic, narrative, and intertextual. As we will see, spectres can trascend the literal "white-sheet ghost" form to haunt literary texts in multiple ways. Secondly, the lecture addresses the spectral space of literary translation. Rooted in Deconstructive Translation Studies (DTS), the coupling of hauntology and translation offers a novel avenue of research and practice. We will explore three dimensions of potential inquiry: 1) The microtextual level; 2) The intertextual level; 3) The polysystemic level. In particular, we will reflect upon the spectralising movements within cultural industries in times of precariousness and technological disruption, as well as "de-spectralising" strategies that foster visibility and agency for translators and researchers. These practical and theoretical efforts aim to preserve the spectral nature of literary texts, ensuring that the haunted house of literature remains forever inhabited by its resident ghosts.

Read more in the archive.

5-6/03/2026, Haus der Universität (BSR 2) 

Re-Membering Translation: How Memory Studies Can Invigorate Translation Studies 

International Conference

Organisation: Dr. Yvonne Liebermann & Dr. Hannah Pardey (HHU) 

The aim of this international conference is to engage critically with the nexus between Memory Studies and Translation Studies and to explore how recent concepts in Memory Studies can strengthen theories and practices of translation. Opening up the field of Translation Studies and rethinking it with concepts in Memory Studies not only fosters new connections across the two fields but also bears the potential to ‘re-member’ Translation Studies so as to attune it to the globalized and digitized twenty-first century.
Bringing together scholars from Memory Studies and Translation Studies, the conference engages in questions such as: Should we shift our attention away from transfers between source and target languages and rather investigate translation’s potential to reimagine cultures? Can translation be detached from its dual (source and target) context, and how would this modify concepts of translation more generally? What are the merits of ‘translating’ notions such as ‘latent memory’, ‘cosmopolitan memory’, ‘multidirectional memory’ or ‘globital memory’ to a Translation Studies context? Can the field of Memory Studies transform the global book market, including the imbalance of languages, in ways that are comparable to its impact on museum cultures?

Read more in the archive.

18:00 - 20:00 STADTFENSTER (Zentralbibliothek, Konrad-Adenauer-Platz 1)

Der Arbeitskreis Düsseldorf Postkolonial veranstaltet am 10.9. 18-20 Uhr einen Diskussionsabend mit Input und Podium zum Umgang mit dem „Kolonialkriegerdenkmal" am Frankenplatz.

Den gesamten Flyer können Sie unter diesem Link herunterladen.

Um Anmeldung wird gebeten: https://eveeno.com/koloniales-erbe

Wir gratulieren Tasun Tidorchibe herzlich zur erfolgreichen Verteidigung seiner Dissertation "Revisiting formalism from a West African perspective: Konkomba folktales across generations and cultural contexts". Sein Projekt beschäftigt sich aus afrozentrischer Perspektive mit Form-​Inhalts-Beziehungen in (weitgehend westlichen) Strömungen des Formalismus am Beispiel populärer Erzählungen (folktales) der Konkomba in Nordghana. Über Translating Minor Forms macht sein Projekt zudem einen Korpus der Erzählungen, deren Übersetzungen, und weiteren Inhalten zugänglich. Mehr Informationen finden Sie hier.