Orientalism

Said's work in the academy

In the academy, the book Orientalism (1978) became a foundational text of post-colonial cultural studies.

Orientalism

Orientalism is a term that is used by art historians, literary and cultural studies scholars for the imitation or depiction of aspects in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and East Asian cultures (Eastern world). These depictions are usually done by writers, designers and artists from the West. In particular, Orientalist painting, depicting more specifically "the Middle East",[1] was one of the many specialisms of 19th-century academic art, and the literature of Western countries took a similar interest in Oriental themes.

Edward Said's Orientalism in 1978

Since the publication of Edward Said's Orientalism in 1978, "Orientalism" to refer to a general patronizing Western attitude. In Said's analysis, the West essentializes these societies as static and undeveloped. Implicit in this fabrication, writes Said, is the idea that Western society is developed, rational, flexible, and superior

"The Other"

The action of "othering" cultures occurs when groups are labeled as different due to characteristics that distinguish them from the perceived norm. Edward Said, the author of the book Orientalism, argued that western powers and influential individuals such as social scientists and artists othered "the Orient". The evolution of ideologies is often initially embedded in the language, and continues to ripple through the fabric of society by taking over the culture, economy and political sphere

Opposite to Orientalism: Occidentalism

The term "Occidentalism" is often used to refer to negative views of the Western world found in Eastern societies and is founded on the sense of nationalism that spread in reaction to colonialism.