According to Edward Said, Orientalism is a way of coming to terms with the Orient that is based on the Orient's special place in European culture. A summary of the Orientalist mindset would be that the East and West's ways of life follow two separate paths that will never meet. Orientalism helps define Western Culture based on its contrasting characteristics. Additionally, it is a Western style of dominating, reconstructing, and having power over the Orient.
Edward Said's book, Orientalism, aims to break down the myth that Orientals are strange and untrustworthy people. He was not a fan of Western enlightenment traditions and colonialism. For example, many people thought Joseph Conrad was a racist white man, but Edward Said praised Conrad for his images of the Congo in his book, Heart of Darkness. Edward Said's postcolonial theory forces us to see that Western Culture's strength and identity derives from setting itself off against the Orient as a substitute.
I think the Orientalist mindset has definitely decreased among our Western Culture, but their are still issues. For example, the way that some people view Muslims in our culture is very much still an issue. There is a large population of Muslims in the Middle East. I remember watching an episode of the show 30 Days. In the episode I was watching, a white catholic man went to go live with a Muslim family for 30 days. During the show they asked pedestrians to say the first word that came to mind when they heard the word, Muslim. Almost all said "terrorist", "9/11", and "Al Qaeda". I think this is a good example that shows the stereotypes that follow Muslims everyday and the issues they have to face in today's Western's Culture.
Great post! The summary made the reading easier to understand and I agree with you. Your modern day example is on point.
ReplyDeleteI think that your example of the TV show is such a great example of how orientalism still exists. I think that the fact that the first thing people think about when they hear the word "Muslim" is "terrorist" is really upsetting, but I do not find it surprising in today's society, which may be upsetting.
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