Charting Agency in Digital Context: Agents and Networks in the Making of Arabic to English Literary Translations in an Online Magazine

Abstract

This study centers around recent developments in the concept of agency in literary translation, particularly within the framework of digital initiatives. It identifies the development of agents in translation theory as a necessity proposed by contemporary sociological approaches to emphasize the roles played by both human and non-human entities involved in the translation of foreign texts. While these approaches define agents as active participants who assert their empowerment within institutional structures, they often fail to explain how agents exercise their agency when operating outside these structures, particularly beyond Western/European paradigms of literary translation. Through an ethnographic case study of Words Without Borders (WWB)—an online literary translation magazine founded in 2003—this thesis explores how this cultural initiative has broadened the concept of agency in response to cultural and political struggles in the early 21st century. It specifically focuses on the role of agents involved in the translation of contemporary Arabic literary texts outside the dominant Anglo-American publishing industry. Drawing on interviews with translators and editors, alongside analysis of documents and paratextual elements, this study probes how these agents navigate their roles to influence visibility for both themselves and Arabic literature among English-speaking audiences. The research puts sociological definitions of agency in translation theory to the test, arguing for a deeper, more context-sensitive understanding of agency that aligns with the cultural sociology realities of today. Words Without Borders exemplifies how agency is not a static starting point but an evolving, dialectical process shaped by recognition and negotiation with cultural others. This thesis also critically examines the roles of non-human agents within literary translation, particularly digital platforms and their paratextual affordances, viewing them as extensions of human agency rather than independent actors.