The important scholar Edward Said launched the term ‘orientalism\' to describe h
ID: 3451921 • Letter: T
Question
The important scholar Edward Said launched the term ‘orientalism' to describe how many westerners viewed (and many still view) various Asian peoples and cultures. According to Said, westerners often exaggerated the differences between east and west and described Asians as primitive and irrational. Although not always hostile or openly racist, ‘orientalist’ views are often patronizing. Western authors would depict Middle Eastern people as morally depraved, pleasure-seeking, and decadent. (Chinese people were described using other racist stereotypes, such as being sneaky and greedy.) The term ‘orientalism' can also be applied to western scholars, who although genuinely curious and even caring about the cultures they studied, still ended up bringing western biases into their analysis and ended up exaggerating differences between east and west rather than seeing similarities.
Can you find examples of ‘orientalism' in this account?
Explanation / Answer
Edward W. Said defined Orientalism, as the acceptance in the West of “the basic distinction between East and West as the starting point for elaborate theories, epics, novels, social descriptions, and political accounts concerning the Orient, its people, customs, 'mind,' destiny."
Examples from the passage that talks about orientalism are: Said in this passage talks about the distinction westerners make between east and west and Asians are described as primitive and irrational. Another time there is the reference to orientalist being covertly hostile, racist and patronizing. People from the middle east are being described as morally depraved, pleasure-seeking and decadent.
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