Essay on Orientalism - 2396 Words

Orientalism is a study of language and traditions of the people and their culture in the Middle East. These studies are mostly done by people outside of the culture that is being looked at, and mostly the studies are being performed by white western men. Edward Said believed that there was a problem with the way in which other people were studying and writing about his culture. He was upset and spoke up when he wrote a booked called â€Å"Orientalism,† in his book he points out many reasons why the study of orientalism is hurting the cultures in which they are studying. The study of other cultures and countries better known as the Orient has become a popular discussion since Said’s book on orientalism was published. This paper will take a look†¦show more content†¦He argued that â€Å"...Orientalism is not so innocent a form of knowledge as this. Instead, he redefines Orientalism as the ubiquity of a sense of the division of the world into two spheres in aesthetic production, popular culture, and scholarly, sociological, and historical texts. In other words, he is suggesting that the concept of difference between east and west is a geopolitical difference which is written up throughout the texts of western culture whether through travel writing, political texts, paintings, or in academic discussions† (Sharp 2009, 31). He saw this through many ways and because of what was mentioned in the above quote and â€Å"the Middle East crisis of 1973 that provoked Said to research and write Orientalism, which was published in 1978† (Irwin 2006, 281). His book however, is not a book about the â€Å"history[s] of the Oriental studies, but rather a highly selective polemic on certain aspects of the relations of knowledge and power. Its style and content strongly suggest that it is addressed exclusively to a Western readership† (Irwin 2006, 281). In his book he starts with two points or problems that he saw happen with what others said when studying the Orient. The first one was from Karl Marx who stated that â€Å"They cannot represent themselves; they must be represented† and the second was from Benjamin Disraeli who said â€Å"The East is a career† (Krishna 2009, 73). Both these points did not sit well with Said as they showed that knowledge orShow MoreRelatedOrientalism in Pocah ontas971 Words   |  4 PagesOrientalism in Disney’s Pocahontas While the name suggests an allusion to only Eastern Asia, or the Orient, Orientalism is a branch of Cultural Studies, an area of literary criticism that has applications in various mediums. The school of critical theory, created by Edward Said, is applicable to novels, essays, social situations, films, and epics alike. One film, to which Orientalism is applicable, is Disney’s Pocahontas. To understand how Orientalism is applicable to a film that takes placeRead MoreEssay Orientalism865 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Introduction† to Orientalism aids readers in understanding the basis for Rhonda Vander Sluis’s companions – prejudice and stereotype – in her search for identity in Turkey. More than anything else, in his â€Å"Introduction† to Orientalism Edward Said attempts to educate his readers about the flaws he sees in the European notion of Orientalism. He identifies generalization as the root cause of differences and misunderstanding between Europe and the Orient. As Said sees it, Orientalism is both an academicRead More What Is Orientalism? Essay593 Words   |  3 PagesWhat Is Orientalism? Said made a clear analogy between orientalism and colonialism. They are both set with the same binary opposition. white/ non white occidental/ non occidental In a very detailed and structured study of the orient (behavior, habit, tradition ...) we document a large amount of fact and data. All compile in a general study they produce the illusion of a well understood and objectively constructed knowledge. These are, in fact, mere observations and purely subjectiveRead MoreEssay about Orientalism2624 Words   |  11 PagesThe definition of orientalism takes up no more than two sentences in the dictionary. Coincidentally, Orientalism came to be such a complex and deep concept which Said devotes his entire book in discussing about it. His book – Orientalism unfolds the history of the Orientalism, reveals the â€Å"dark† side of an orientalist’s mind and describes the different dimensions of Orientalism. He also attempts to expose the truth of the Orient, which he warned that: â€Å"One ought never to assume that the structureRead MoreOrientalism in Art Essay1840 Words   |  8 Pagesvocabulary that have given it reality and presence in and for the West.†[3] In another words, Orientalism is derived from an experience by Britain and France of the Orient. Paintings such as â€Å"Turkish Bath†, â€Å"The death of Sardanapalus† and â€Å"Odalisque and Slave† reflect the fascinations which the artists experienced or imagined of the Orient. Said argues that roughly from late eighteenth century, Orientalism was a â€Å"Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient.†[4]Read More A Passage to India and Orientalism Essay1530 Words   |  7 PagesIndia and Orientalism When in 1978 Edward W. Said published his book Orientalism, it presented a turning point in post-colonial criticism. He introduced the term Orientalism, and talked about 2 of its aspects: the way the West sees the Orient and the way the West controls the Orient. Said gave three definitions of Orientalism, and it is through these definitions that I will try to demonstrate how A Passage to India by E. M. Forster is an Orientalist text. First, Said defined Orientalism as anRead MoreEssay on Introduction to Orientalism by Edward Said1478 Words   |  6 PagesIn his introduction to the term â€Å"Orientalism,† Edward Said begins by paraphrasing the writing of a French journalist’s view of the present-day Orient in order to express the major common Western misconception about the East. This misconception exists in the Western mind, according to Said, as if it were irrelevant that the Orient itself was actually sociologically affected. He then goes on to describe the basis of Orientalism, as it is rooted in the Western consciousness. Said uses the phraseRead MoreAladdin And Orientalism : A Little Bit Of The Middle East1239 Words   |  5 PagesSonia Maryam IB English Ms.Rowe February 20 2015 Aladdin and Orientalism Could anyone have thought that the movie Aladdin had more to it than just showing a little bit of the Middle East? That is because the movie Aladdin shows Orientalism in many ways. Orientalism is a canonical text of cultural studies where Said has challenged the concept of Orientalism by: the difference between east and west, the start of European colonization the Europeans came in contact with the lesser developedRead MoreThe Idea of Orientalism Portrayed in James Camerons Avatar3778 Words   |  16 PagesThe Idea of Orientalism Portrayed in James Cameron’s Avatar Abstract In brief, this study discusses about the representation of orientalism idea which is portrayed in the film Avatar. The film tells about the conflict between human and native people in Planet Pandora, where human exploits the land and oppresses the native. This study explores in what way the idea of orientalism is represented and how both narrative and non-narrative aspects of the film helped in delivering that representationRead MoreStuart Hall s The West And The Rest And Edward Said s Orientalism1653 Words   |  7 PagesStuart Hall’s The West and the Rest and Edward Said’s Orientalism both explore notions of power and discourse with regard to the dynamics of the Western world and the non-Western world. The works engage with the concept of a worldwide binary of two unequal sides, and how certain discourses, namely that of â€Å"the West and the Rest†, and Orientalism, have both stemmed from this idea and worked to maintain it. While Hall engages with the idea o f â€Å"the West and the Rest† – the Western world and how it has