Translating Intersectional Feminism in the Iberian Space: Genealogies of Knowledge for an Inclusive Society

Achieving a more inclusive society remains one of the foremost challenges of our time. Despite significant legislative and social progress in equality, recent years have witnessed not only a growing feminist backlash, but also increased polarisation and internal division within feminism, quite notably in the Iberian context. This challenge has long been studied within the Social Sciences. The TRADIFEM project offers innovative insights to cross disciplinary boundaries and approach this challenge from the perspective of Translation Studies. Our goal is to explore how translation shapes the transmission of knowledge, as well as the evolution and development of specific theories and debates within the Iberian space. The project takes the 1995 Beijing Declaration (UN) as its starting point and spans three decades until 2025, marking the 50th anniversary of the end of Francos dictatorship in Spain, one year after the end of Salazar's regime in Portugal. Specifically, recognising the potential of intersectionality to foster a more inclusive society that values diversity, we hypothesise that the translation of intersectional feminist essays into the Iberian languages (Basque, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish) plays a key role in shaping an increasingly intersectional approach within Iberian feminist thought and by extension, in contemporary social debates surrounding gender, sexuality, race and disability, among others. To explore this hypothesis, a multilingual comparative study will be conducted, for the first time, aiming to identify (a) which variables of oppression (or intersectional themes) are most prevalent in translations from English across these territories at different socio-historical moments, and (b) whether any parallels may exist with the themes addressed in feminist texts originally written in the Iberian languages. A comparative perspective will help identify similarities and disparities among these five linguistic and cultural communities, offering a more nuanced understanding of how each of the historical, political and cultural target contexts has shaped global feminist ideas conveyed via translation, thus enriching the analysis of (intersectional) gender dynamics within the Iberian context. Methodologically, the project combines three levels of analysis: (a) a macro-analysis of the two compiled corpora will be conducted to establish parallelisms between translations and endogenous Iberian feminist essays; (b) a contextual analysis based on interviews with editorial and translation agents will be conducted to uncover the motivations for prioritising specific texts that address particular intersectional issues; and (c) a para/textual analysis of a significant sample of works will be conducted to examine both promotional strategies via paratexts, as well as the coinage of neologisms or the use of inclusive language. At the crossroads of Translation Studies, feminist studies, and Iberian studies, the TRADIFEM project offers pioneering research on the genealogies of knowledge surrounding intersectional feminism within the linguistic communities of the Iberian space. By shedding light on the translational journeys of intersectional feminist thought, the project ultimately aims to provide a framework for critical reflection that, while accommodating divergent views, avoids polarisation and promotes progress towards a more inclusive society. Impacto científico técnico o internacional esperable: The project will generate significant, empirically-grounded and innovative scientific knowledge at the intersection of various disciplinary fields, including translation studies, feminist/gender studies, Iberian (comparative) studies, and intersectionality. First, the results of the project will bring a better understanding of the critical role of translation in the development and dissemination of intersectional feminist thought in the Iberian context. This has the potential to produce transformational knowledge in Iberian feminist historiography, which so far has largely overlooked the impact of translation on the evolution of feminist ideas. Second, this project will uncover which kind of diversity is promoted in translations of feminist texts and will also identify the most common intersectional themes introduced. By so doing, it will generate new understanding of the connections between feminist theories and critical race studies, disability studies, and sexuality studies as well as Iberian studies. This has the potential to open new avenues of inquiry, as the opportunities for disciplinary encounters are manifold (Basque Studies, Galician Studies, etc.). Third, TRADFEM will provide insight into the ecosystem of agents involved in the translation of (intersectional) feminist texts into the five languages (Basque, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish), thus uncovering the agendas behind commissioning specific translations and identifying the institutional processes versus large publishing houses in advancing particular debates. These findings will inform broader studies on cultural transfer and enable further exploration of translations influence in disseminating ideologies, both historically and contemporary. Fourth, our research will provide critical data on the role of translation grants in non-fiction publications across the five peninsular languages, revealing the gendered dimension of grants and the impact of translation supports on canon formation. While translation grants have been widely studied in the context of literary primacy and literary internationalisation, our focus on non-literary genres may inspire renewed academic interest in the inward role of government policy in shaping domestic canons. Fifth, a comparative perspective within the Iberian space will enrich our understanding of power dynamics between languages of disparate status in multilingual Spain, particularly for non-literary genres. Extending this perspective to Portugal, the project will explore how socio-historical factors, such as colonial legacies, foster interest in intersectional themes like Black feminism. This comparative approach offers potential for adaptation to other multilingual contexts, broadening the projects methodological impact. Finally, the project database will include: (a) all titles of feminist essays translated into five languages between 1995 and 2025; (b) detailed information about intersectional themes in translations; (c) detailed information about intersectional feminist titles originally written in the five languages of the project. It will serve as a valuable resource for the wider research community, fostering further knowledge generation beyond the scope of this study. By generating data on translation flows, specific authors, and the activist roles of translators, this research will lay the groundwork for future investigations into the dynamic interplay between translation and cultural production.