Complexity thinking in Translation Studies: a critical reflection

Abstract

Taking stock of the emergence of a scholarly trajectory like complexity thinking is required every so often in order to orientate oneself to the developments, the problems and the unfinished tasks that remain ahead. This paper therefore invites a critical considering of a complexity approach to translation by engaging with some of the criticism. The main task, however, will be to map an agenda for further research, based on the critical reflection, to continue the development of the approach. The paper deals with the latest literature on complexity thinking generally and the complexity of constraints and absentials in particular to work out a nuanced conceptual framework with which to study the emergence of any semiotic trajectory through a process of translation. In addition, it considers a soft causality for social-cultural studies that is able to reflect the complexity of causality in these domains by further exploring the notion of ‘propensity’.