About the Project

The project studies Estonian translation history (1850–2010) by considering translation as an active agent of cultural change that is functionally crucial to a culture’s self-understanding and to shaping its identity. Estonian culture is thoroughly translational; the Estonian written standard and its literature were constituted by acts and processes of translation, and translation has continued to play a strategic role in the development of Estonian culture. We will write the first comprehensive history of translation in Estonia from the mid-19th century onwards and study translation not only as a historical object but also as a lens through which we can investigate historical processes and readdress some of the most contentious aspects of Estonian cultural identity.