Overview

This book centers on how translation is key to understanding the encounter between China and the West from 1839 to 1949. It explores the ambivalence, anxiety, and narcissism that China manifested when facing the foreign other and conceptualizes this intercultural interaction as a gaze. Drawing on the theories of Sartre, Lacan, and Foucault, the book presents ""translation as the gaze"" as an analytical framework through which the interplay of knowledge, power, and identity can be examined anew. In the interlocking of gazes between the self and the other, translation emerges not as a neutral medium but as a dynamic, multilayered structure that simultaneously reveals and conceals, mediates, and transforms. By foregrounding the textual doubleness and epistemological fluidity of translation, the book illustrates how modern China negotiated its position in a global order of seeing and being seen. This framework deepens our understanding of China’s modernity and dialogic formation through translation and offers a critical perspective for studying transcultural encounters beyond the Sino-Western context. It illuminates the broader history of exchanges between civilizations. The book will appeal to scholars and students of translation studies, Asian studies, and comparative literature.

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9781041239635

Table of Contents

Reviews

“This bold and original monograph reconceptualizes intercultural exchange as a gaze and reimagines it through that lens, illuminating translation’s doubleness and epistemological fluidity. It delivers a rigorous interdisciplinary intervention, carving out an underexplored perspective that decisively broadens translation studies beyond entrenched textual paradigms.” Yifeng Sun, Chair Professor, University of Macau, China “A path-breaking study that conceptualizes translation as a metaphorical gaze, this monograph exposes the layered perceptions, misrecognitions, and imaginative projections that have long governed Sino-Western relations. Its analytical acuity and interdisciplinary ambition mark a significant advance in thinking about translation as a structuring force of modernity.” You Wu, Professor, East China Normal University, China “Via the theoretically informed approach of “translation as gaze,” Qilin Cao’s monograph showcases deep analytical engagements with a diverse range of cultural materials concerning Sino-Western encounters in the so-called “Century of Humiliation.” It is a must-read for scholars and students interested in exploring translation as a mode of cultural production.” Flair Donglai Shi, Assocaite Professor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China “This provocative, theoretically rich work redefines translation through the lens of the gaze, illuminating the dynamic, often ambivalent Sino-Western encounter with remarkable insight. It bridges disciplinary divides and offers a bold new framework for understanding translation’s far-reaching cultural and epistemological power. It will surely provide an inspiring reading experience for translation studies scholars and cross-cultural thinkers alike.” Ruoze Huang, Associate Professor, Xiamen University, China

Author Information

Qilin Cao is an assistant professor in the School of Foreign Studies at Tongji University, Shanghai, China. His research interests include translation studies, comparative literature, and object studies. One of his recent projects is to reconsider modern China through the perspective of objects. His articles can be found in journals such as positions: asia critique, Modern Asian Studies, the International Journal of Asian Studies, Neohelicon, Orbis Litterarum, and the Journal of Translation Studies.

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