On turns and fashions in translation studies and beyond

Abstract

There is a great deal of uncertainty in translation studies surrounding the core concepts used to structure its own history. Both paradigm and turn are used to refer to the shifts that have occurred. This article starts by showing why it would be appropriate to give preference to the concept of turn in this context. It presents memes as the partners that, together with travelling concepts such as culture or role, underlie the various turns of translation studies. This, however, still does not tell us why scholars adhere to particular ideas and concepts and ultimately to certain academic directions or turns. The main argument is in favour of introducing the concept of fashion, which has an impressive history of academic analysis, as the driver behind turns. It is demonstrated that fashion is uniquely appropriate to serve as a basis for explaining the unfolding of a turn.