Jacques Derrida, the problem of reception and contemporary translatological research in Slovakia

Abstract

Jacques Derrida’s deconstruction theory has been known in the field of Slovak literary and social sciences for over thirty years. Although it was reflected in Slovakia especially in the last decade of the 20th century and in the first decade of the 21st century through a small number of book translations of some Derrida’s most important works and numerous journal articles, studies, and reviews written by Slovak (and Czech) researchers, the French philosopher’s controversial ideas continue to arouse interest even today. Our goal in this article is, therefore, to give a summarizing overview of Derrida’s presence in Slovak thinking about literature, philosophy, and other related disciplines from the beginning of the 1990’s when the first translations and reflections on Derrida appeared. We aim in particular at mapping the translation situation (Derrida’s translations in Slovak and their translators, domestic cultural context, publishing environment, etc.) and its analysis. It allows us to outline also the broader cultural context of the philosopher’s reception in Slovak culture, such as the transfer and circulation of scientific knowledge and its impact on the receiving scientific and socio-cultural environment. One of the examples of more broadly conceived problem of the reception is the forthcoming Dictionary of Slovak Translators of Social Science and Humanities Texts.