Words in Motion

“Here is a collection of essays that all students of history, especially those with an interest in its political, social, and ethnographic dimensions will find intriguing. . . . [T]he book provides an ideal text for any interdisciplinary study that blends history, sociology, and international affairs. It may also be of some interest to semanticists.” - Claire Wyckoff, Publishing Research Quarterly

“I can think of no better field-guide to how ‘globalization’ works on-the-ground than this pioneering and remarkable collection of studies of how words and concepts move across the globe, old meanings turning into evolving new meanings as they shift from Britain to Asia, from Egypt to Indonesia, from the worlds of the past in Turkey and Japan into their new ages. This book should henceforth be part of any reading list on global history.” - Eric Hobsbawm, fellow of the British Academy and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

“Moving from North Africa through Europe to East and Southeast Asia, ranging from colonial discourse through national liberation movements into postcoloniality and globalization, this meticulously researched collection of stellar essays shows the politics of meaning-change as words cross boundaries from North to South and back, through the politics of gender and class. I am already using it in my teaching!” - Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, University Professor in the Humanities, Columbia University

"[T]his book offers many things to open-minded readers. The unpredictability at times can be refreshing, as we see when words imposed on the powerless become a double-edged sword (’terrorists’ becoming ‘freedom fighters’ in India, for example). Also, the words-in-motion project highlights the contributions of ‘critical public intellectuals who shape ideas and institutions not just in their home nations but also between and beyond national space’ (16). All the authors in this collection write with originality, wit, and flair, and deserve a wide audience.” - James Stanlaw, Anthropos

“Words in Motion is a highly original and exciting exploration of the global movements, transformations and social impacts of words which I expect will be welcomed and expanded upon by scholars in the fields of global and area studies. It is a recommended read for anyone with an interest in global history, conceptual history or translation studies.” - Michael Facius, H-Soz-u-Kult, H-Net Reviews