Orientalism

I have been of late reading Edward Said's Orientalism, as you have noticed in my previous posts where I have referred to him on occassion. So far it has been an interesting read and quite a many of his points have been very valid despite what some literary and academic critics have said. One can not ignore the point he is making. He starts off by defining what Orientalism actually means and it is quite different from what we would normally think of words ending in "-ism". Such words usually typify something belonging to or associated with the root word in this case the Orient. However, that is not how Mr. Said defines Orientalism, he explains it as a phenomenon whereby colonising powers such as the British and French defined the Orient for themselves and the Orientals and not how the Orient actually is. In other words there was a deliberate attempt for ethnic-brainwashing if you would call it so. The Orient was represented not as it was but as it was thought to be and imagined.

The whole dynamic of this process and how it came about is what Dr. Said tries to expound in this "little" work of his (I call it "little" because the sheer vastness of this subject and the intricate relationships between the various players are both too much to be covered in a lifetime). It's a highly recommended read and if one approaches it with an open and critical mind one will find a trove of enlightenment. Happy travelling folks!