Note on Language Correction in November 201 7 issue of Canadian Review of Sociology/Revue Canadienne de Sociologie.

Wilkes, Rima

In the November 2017 issue, Frederic Vandenberghe and Philip Gorski guest edited an issue of the Canadian Review of Sociology / Revue Canadienne de Sociologie focused on the Weberian principle of value neutrality. At the final stage of the production process, Dr. Vandenberghe decided to use a different translation of a sentence by Weber in his article. In this version the word "Chinaman" is used instead of "Chinese." Dr. Vandenberghe writes that:

I am sorry to hear that my use of an infelicitous racial slur has caused offence. I used the term to draw attention to Max Weber's Orientalism. I did not want to indulge in Orientalism; it's exactly the opposite: I wanted to expose it. I read Weber in German, and I was taken aback by Weber's triple reference to a Chinese in the text. During the revision process, I checked the translation of his classic text on "Objectivity in the Social Sciences" and, by accident, I discovered that "einer Chinese" had been translated as "a Chinaman" (in Whimster, Sam (ed.): The Essential Max Weber. A Reader, p. 365). Carried away by my polemics with Weber, I made the wrong decision, and brought a discredited translation into circulation.

The CSA thanks several readers who drew our attention to this matter and apologizes for it. We also thank Dr. Vandenberghe and journal editor Francois Depelteau for their willingness to clarify and rectify the issue. The journal worked with Wiley (the publisher) to print a correction to the original text. Additionally, Wiley will also ensure that, in future, the CRS editor will be able to vet any changes to the substance of manuscripts.

Sincerely,

Rima Wilkes

President, Canadian Sociological Association