The thesis examines the official translations and fan translations into Arabic of the Harry Potter (HP) series as socially-situated activities, and their agents as socially-situated actants. The HP Arabic translations are largely unexplored from a sociological perspective. There is little research in the literature that investigates fan translations and fandom, this research addresses that gap by critically exploring Arabic fan translations of the HP series, and its main agents. It records the struggle that ensued between the official agents and fan agents.
This thesis also traces the socio-historical trajectory of the field of children’s literature in Arabic translation in Egypt and Saudi Arabia from a sociological perspective, based on Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological theory. In mapping out the field of children’s literature in Arabic translation, the thesis identifies the first ever translation for children in Saudi Arabia, not mentioned in previous literature. It redraws the boundaries of the field and categorises the field in Egypt and Saudi Arabia into several phases of development. It critically identifies and investigates various socio-cultural, religious, and political determinants not mentioned in previous studies, but which conditioned and affected translation practices in this field of cultural production during its various phases of development.
Making use of Bourdieu’s conceptual tools, developed within his theory of cultural production, this thesis uses as a testing ground the official and fan translations of Books 1, 6, and 8 of the HP series. Through its analyses on the paratextual, textual, and contextual levels, the thesis shows how translations can be used as a tool with which to practice symbolic violence and to claim distinction in the field of translation. It recounts the struggle that took place between official agents and fan agents.
Previous studies in the field of children’s literature translation have marginalised the translators’ role. In contrast, this thesis highlights and discusses HP’s official and fan translators’ active roles in the translation process and product in the field. It finds that both the official and the fan Arabic translation agents were affected by socio-cultural, religious, and linguistic doxa, and additionally by their own habitus and social trajectory. These influences shaped their translation products.
This thesis makes a significant contribution to the sociology of translation, children’s literature translation, and the field of Egyptian and Saudi Arabian studies.
