Orientalism is defined as the imitation of Eastern cultures by the West through art, writing, and in current times, film. Edward Said introduced a new idea of the word Orientalism and how it has affected the region it represents to the West. His book and the new ideas it encompasses had created controversy. Although the notion that the East was affected by the imperialism of Europe existed, no author had dedicated a book to the idea. On page 42 Said states that “if the essence of Orientalism is the ineradicable distinction between Western superiority and Oriental inferiority, then we must be prepared to note how in its development and subsequent history Orientalism deepened and even hardened the distinction.” In this book he argues that the development of the study of the orient distinctly the Middle East has created a gap between East and West. He also views Orientalism as a political doctrine that was imposed on the East due to the belief that it is inferior to the West. It is known that the term Orientalism was created by the West to categorize the people of the East. The different culture many encountered in the East was seen so different and not the level at which the European society functioned. The idea that other cultures are inferior due to their ways was seen everywhere the Europeans explored and conquered.
Said also mentions Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt in 1798 and how it helped to obtain “effective Western knowledge about the orient.” Egypt was a theater to model the Orient for the West. The developments of regions served the imperial European countries differentiate what they encounter. Labeling has to begin by someone and in most of the orient the conquering Europeans had the pleasure to do so.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
“It is striking to realize how society influences innocent people to do the unimaginable due to the lack of hope.”
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this introduction I was struck by the compassion in the idea. The idea that some people are bound to behave in a certain way due to societal pressures and conflict. Compassion towards Palestinians is rarely heard from an American voice. American voices are often overwhelmingly Pro-Israeli. However, I’ve noticed in both the films shown in class and a few blog posts from our classmates, an existence of an overzealous sympathy. In the situation both sides were conflicted, it’s too simple to say one side was wrong or right. We are not speaking of two governments and militaries; we are speaking of two mothers. Rachel’s mother’s actions and feelings were realistic and deserve as much respect as Ayat’s mother’s. Both mothers were grieving, and both deserve compassion.