Orientalism is the Western way of regarding the East. It views the different cultures of the East as exotic, foreign, and at times primitive. Orientalism exalts Western society while dehumanizing people from the East. Said in his Theory of Orientalism asserts that these ideas extended beyond imperialism. Orientalist ideologies have been expressed in works of literature such as "Heart of Darkness", poems, songs, and paintings. These ideas result in exploitation of the East.
I believe that we still have an Orientalist mindset. In "The God of Small Things" when Sophie Mol's hands were getting sniffed by the cook and Margaret was asking about it, Ammu suddenly gets upset at her treating them as if they are some kind of natives for her to gawk at. That scene made me take pause because I feel like witnessing the same thing I would act like Margaret Kochamma. This scene really made Orientalism resonate with me. It's the arrogant assumption that we as Westerners do everything the "right" and "normal" way. I really appreciate the moments in the book like these that force me to really stop and think and encourage myself to self evaluate.
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