Translation in and of Conservatism

My paper reflects upon the significance of “translation” for conservatism on three dimensions. As is generally granted, commitment to the status quo is as a trademark of conservative political movements which commonly underline its value. But conservatism as widespread political movement emerge only when –and where- the need for action arises to preserve this status quo. Conservative policies are formulated to adapt the status quo to the threats it faces, to translate it into the new context in which a conscious policy is required for the conservation of the status quo. Conservatism as an attitude turns into conservatism as a popular political discourse only when the anxious experience of being-in-transit becomes commonplace. This is the first dimension of the significance of the practice of translation for conservatism. A different translation is necessary if, and when, conservative politics is convinced that the status quo had already been obliterated. Conservative politics then focuses on the resurrection of status quo ante which necessitates a more comprehensive translation that leads to a number of problems. Out of the ever-changing history, the status quo ante should then be defined and derived as an ideal model. There are both hermeneutic problems in translating the specified status quo ante to the present, and practical ones on implementing this translation to the present. Third dimension is not about translation in conservatism but translation of it. Can conservatism be translated into different social, political and cultural contexts? If yes, are there any limits of its context-transcending qualities? Here I argue that context-transcending qualities of conservative politics is its anti-political discursive strategies and this set of strategies is commonly used in the discourses of different popular conservative movements around the globe.