The article examines the problem of bilingualism from a diachronic perspective in the context
of the contribution of current cultural theories (gender, postcolonial) to the perception of multilingualism in contemporary culture. A distinct issue in this research is compulsory bilingualism caused by the Holocaust and involuntary resettlement processes resulting from political harassment.
The article also emphasizes the import of cultural anthropology, cognitive sciences and the sociology of translation into the redefi nition of the very notion of bilingualism and the infl uence of this
phenomenon on such remote from literature spheres as therapy. Refl ection on bilingualism is largely
dependent on the intellectual capacity of the bilingual authors conducting self-analysis. The cases
of Eva Hoffman and Anna Wierzbicka provide more than adequate evidence which signifi cantly
complements the testimony of philosophers, such as trilingual George Steiner, and bilingual writers,
such as Conrad, Nabokov or Brodsky. Finally, it should be added that globalization favors bilingualism among authors but often also provides the rationale for choosing a less popular language
as a means of expression.
A Sociology of Translation: From Text World to Life World
