ABSTRACT
Ideas of stability and change are central in both translation studies and sociology. In translation studies, stability, embodied in the notion of equivalence, has been challenged by approaches that highlight the transformations that allow translations to function in new cultural contexts. The idea of transformation, as well as that of social reproduction, is also key in the sociological tradition, which itself arises from the great transformations that shaped the emergence of modern society. Both disciplines are confronted today with the need to provide wide-ranging perspectives on the profound social transformations of the present, which defy our understanding in unprecedented ways. Attempting to respond to this challenge, this chapter investigates how recent sociological accounts have adopted the notion of metamorphosis and investigates older accounts of metamorphosis beyond disciplinary boundaries. It centrally discusses a notion of translation as metamorphosis, seeking to demonstrate its relevance for sociology, as well as for the social sciences and the humanities more widely.
