In Gatekeeping Arabic Literature, Mervat Haloum delivers a rigorous sociological analysis of the flow of translated Arabic novels into the UK publishing industry. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data and sociological and translation theories, the book investigates patterns and norms governing the selection, production, and reception of novels, the interconnections among translation agents, and the socio-cultural forces shaping their behaviours. It proposes a new taxonomy of UK publishers based on their motives and examines how the lack of source-field sponsorship grants gatekeepers greater control over the dissemination of Arabic literature. By rethinking the concept of “peripheral literatures”, Mervat Haloum demonstrates how literatures from the Global South face distinct barriers to international visibility and recognition, not encountered by peripheral European literatures.
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