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Societies for the History of Economics <[log in to unmask]>
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Wed, 27 May 2020 05:52:08 -0400
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BBK >  Ibn Khaldun's work has not been translated into English in its entirety, and of Maqrizi even fewer works are accessible in English

Interesting that you say this - as it long seemed to me that the historiography of translation deserves comment.  (Perhaps I should admit immediately that as a hopeless monoglot I am entirely dependent of the kindness of strangers in this regard)

As far back as 1850 H M Elliot got around 3,000 pages of text translated into English from the historians of “Muhammadan” India.  Before 1900 Max Müller had organised the translation of tens of thousands of pages of early Eastern text.  I supposed such herculean efforts were still somewhat the norm when Homer Dubbs organised the translation (vital to economics) of “Food and money”  and associated Han texts in the 1930’s.  But as the century progressed it seems to me that whole project near ran into the sand.
 
Probably you have the translation from Maqrizi by Allouche of 1994.  Invaluable – but at core just 60 pages (and an exception to the general trend as I see it). Meanwhile as far as I discovered - nothing has been added to translations from the witty and wonderful Al-Biruni since 1910.

Checking Wikipedia concerning the hugely important ancient economic text Kuan Tzu (Guanzi) I find no reference at all to the translation efforts of Lewis Maverick (1954).  What the web does rapidly bring up is reference to the correspondence of that eccentric poet Ezra Pound with Maverick concerning economic matters.  Back in 2011 I became intrigued with Pound’s suggestion that Maverick had been somehow been “blocked” from teaching. I eventually tracked down Lewis Maverick’s son and got some first hand thoughts concerning that matter (not quite as lurid as Pound seemed to suggest)

I mention this in part because it crosses my mind that the tide of events in the 1950’s might have played a role in the general slowing of translation of sophisticated oriental text that I seem to see subsequently.  (I fear popular attention at least seemed to shift towards such matters as the doings of the Piraha).  

But also to flag up that if anyone with more energy than myself wished to seriously pursue the particular matter, they might usefully contact me, and salve my conscience concerning my fallow file.

Rob Tye

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