ABSTRACT
Approaches to what has been widely described as the new cosmopolitanism have brought attention to the key role that translation plays in mediating between different traditions or modernities. Emphasising a multiplicity of perspectives, rather than the world’s ‘unicity’ (Robertson, 1992) or homogenising trends towards the constitution of a global culture, cosmopolitan competence has been defined as the art of translation and bridge-building (Beck, 2006: 89), while cosmopolitan processes are seen as taking the form of translations between things that are different, where one culture interprets itself in light of the encounter with the other and constantly undergoes change as a result (Delanty, 2006: 23; 2009: 193–8). On the other hand, there is a renewed urgency to specify the conditions and principles of a cosmopolitan order that recognises the interconnectedness of political communities and provides a democratic space at local, national, regional and global levels (Held, 2010).
