Abstract
In 1964, the seventh issue of Philosophical Translation Series (Zhexue Yicong), a special issue on dialectical problems, featured “Contradiction and Overdetermination”—the first Chinese translation of Louis Althusser's seminal essay “Contradiction et Surdétermination”. This seemingly incidental translation is closely linked to the distinctive modes of translation practices within “New China's Literary Theory” and the global discourse on the “Young Karl Marx” in the 1960s. In his concise yet scholarly translator's note, Ding Xianggong introduces the debates sparked by “Contradiction and Overdetermination” in French theoretical circles and offers insights into the rationale behind the translation of the French term surdétermination into Chinese. Through the Sinicization of “Contradiction and Overdetermination”, Chinese scholars not only engaged with alternative interpretations of the Hegel—Marx relationship offered by their Western counterparts, but also indirectly introduced the prominent Western Marxist theorist Antonio Gramsci to China. A close reading of Ding Xianggong's 1964 translation in comparison with Gu Liang's 1984 version reveals a concise and assertive translation style that reflects the militant and revolutionary ethos characteristic of translation efforts in the 1960s.
Keywords
“Contradiction and Overdetermination”, Louis Althusser, Sinicization, New China's literary theory
First Page
10
Last Page
19
Recommended Citation
Wang, Yichen. 2025. "The Sinicization of “Contradiction and Overdetermination”: A Study Centered on the 1964 Translation." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 45, (6): pp.10-19. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol45/iss6/2
