The Dictionary of Untranslatables
 

Dictionary of Untranslatables: A Philosophical Lexicon (Barbara Cassin, ed.)
 
"an encyclopedic dictionary of close to 400 important philosophical, literary, and political tems and concepts that defy easy--or any--translation from one language and culture to another. Drawn from more than a dozen languages, terms such as Dasein (German), pravda (Russian), saudade (Portuguese), and stato (Italian) are thoroughly examined in all their cross-linguistic and cross-cultural complexities. Spanning the classical, medieval, early modern, modern, and contemporary periods, these are terms that influence thinking across the humanities. The entries, written by more than 150 distinguished scholars, describe the origins and meanings of each term, the history and context of its usage, its translations into other languages, and its use in notable texts. The dictionary also includes essays on the special characteristics of particular languages--English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish"
 
Sharpe notes that "blackness" does not appear as a topic; nor are Black philosophers represented ("no [...] Fanon, Glissant, Aime or Suzanne Cesaire, no Du Bois"); no concepts like "negritude" or "double consciousness"

> from Christina Sharpe's Ordinary Notes (2023)

> tagged with #language, #race, #investigate, #concept, #philosophy

> created April 16, 2026 at 8:57:28 AM


> part of unfinished everything


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unfinished everything is an original work / ongoing project (1997-present) by jeremy p. bushnell

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