Orientalism

From Geography

Revision as of 16:16, 9 October 2011

Orientalism

Orientalism in general is a term used for the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West. "Orientalism" refers to the Orient or East, in contrast to the Occident or West. In the 19th century the term was generally used to refer to the works of artist specialized in "Oriental" subjects (reference).

In 1978, the Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said published his influential and controversial book, Orientalism, which "would forever redefine" the word; he used the term to describe a pervasive Western tradition, both academic and artistic, of prejudiced outsider interpretations of the East, shaped by the attitudes of European imperialism in the 18th and 19th centuries. Said was critical of both this scholarly tradition and of some modern scholars, particularly Bernard Lewis. Said was mainly concerned with literature in the widest sense, especially French literature, and did not cover visual art and Orientalist painting, though others, notably Linda Nochlin, have tried to extend his analysis to art, "with uneven results". Before

Edward Said's evaluation and critique of the set of beliefs known as Orientalism forms an important background for postcolonial studies. His work highlights the inaccuracies of a wide variety of assumptions as it questions various paradigms of thought which are accepted on individual, academic, and political levels.

now

post-colonialism humanist post-modernist