Orientalism (book)

Orientalism
Cover of the first edition, showing part of The Snake Charmer (1880), an Orientalist painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904) currently held at the Clark Art Institute
AuthorEdward W. Saïd
LanguageEnglish
SubjectOrientalism
PublisherPantheon Books
Publication date
1978
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages368
ISBN978-0-394-42814-7
OCLC4004102
950/.07/2
LC ClassDS12 .S24 1979

Orientalism is a 1978 book by Edward Said, in which he establishes the term "Orientalism" as a critical concept to describe the Western world's commonly contemptuous depiction and portrayal of the Eastern world—that is, the Orient. Societies and peoples of the Orient are those who inhabit regions throughout Asia and North Africa. Said argues that Orientalism, in the sense of the Western scholarship about the Eastern world, is inextricably tied to the imperialist societies that produced it, which makes much Orientalist work inherently political and servile to power.[1]

According to Said, in the Middle East, the social, economic, and cultural practices of the ruling Arab elites indicate they are imperial satraps who have internalized a romanticized version of Arab culture created by French and British (and later, American) Orientalists. Examples used in the book include critical analyses of the colonial literature of Joseph Conrad,[verification needed] which conflates a people, a time, and a place into one narrative of an incident and adventure in an exotic land.[2]

Through the critical application of post-structuralism in its scholarship, Orientalism influenced the development of literary theory, cultural criticism, and the field of Middle Eastern studies, especially with regard to how academics practice their intellectual inquiries when examining, describing, and explaining the Middle East.[3] Moreover, the scope of Said's scholarship established Orientalism as a foundational text in the field of post-colonial studies by denoting and examining the connotations of Orientalism, and the history of a given country's post-colonial period.[4]

As a public intellectual, Said debated historians and scholars of area studies, notably historian Bernard Lewis, who described the thesis of Orientalism as "anti-Western" in nature.[5] For subsequent editions of Orientalism, Said wrote an Afterword (1995)[6]: 329–52  and a Preface (2003)[6]: xi–xxiii  addressing discussions of the book as cultural criticism.

  1. ^ The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought (3rd ed.). 1999. p. 617.
  2. ^ The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism (3rd ed.). 1994. p. 642.
  3. ^ Howe, Stephen. 2008 "Dangerous mind?." New Humanist 123.
  4. ^ The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism (3rd ed.). 1994. pp. 642–43, 581–83.
  5. ^ Oleg Grabar, Edward Said, Bernard Lewis, "Orientalism: An Exchange", New York Review of Books, Vol. 29, No. 13. 12 August 1982. Accessed 4 January 2010.
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Orientalism was invoked but never defined (see the help page).