Travelling Concepts: Interrogating the Concept <i>Culture</i> in Turkish from the Perspectives of Translation Studies

Abstract

The transformation of the Ottoman Empire from a multi-national and multi-cultural entity into a nation state can be seen as a process of translation wherein Western (European) models have served as an important point of reference. In this process, also key Western concepts have been imported and introduced into the Turkish cultural and political system. Research on the process of importation of such basic concepts may provide important insights. The aim of this paper is twofold First, the paper focuses on how the import and export of concepts can be subject of research in Translation Studies thereby discussing the incorporation of existing methods in Conceptual History (Begriffsgeschichle). Then, the paper will discuss the findings of research based on an interdisciplinary approach from Conceptual History and Translation Studies. The subject of this research is the importation of the concept culture into (Ottoman) Turkish. The research revealed findings which provide important insights for methodological questions as well as for the history of the concept culture in Turkey and Turkish.