Orientalism

Disorientated Lavish silks, ornate free-flowing clothing, and silent streams running through lush landscapes full of tigers; these are obviously signs of the Orient. Any sign and symbol that is not Western can only be a representation of the East. The imitation of Middle Eastern and East Asian cultures by American and European writers is known as “Orientalism.” An example of an “Oriental” man is smaller, slightly more feminine, yet is somehow still mysterious and threatening to a white male; while an “Oriental” female exudes exoticism and lust from behind her veil. These assumptions about the East led Edward Said to skillfully examine and define Eastern cultures from the view of Western studies. The Western romanticized view of the East attracted many followers. In fact, the Western representations manage to teach more about the West itself than the East it purports to be concerned with. The idea of the Orient has led the West to envision an exotic and mysterious fantasy world that has only become more warped and distorted as the generations have passed. “The Orient is not only adjacent to Europe; it is also the place of Europe 's greatest and richest and oldest colonies, the source of its civilizations and languages, its cultural contestant.” (Said 1866). Said begins with a true statement of the East, that it is located next to Europe and is home to some of the most successful colonies every created. The success of the East made it a natural contestant to the West. Said focuses on the assumption that the Orient is an “idea with no corresponding reality” (1869). As the East and West both have geographical settings and histories, both must surely be realities. If this is so, then why is the East constantly represented as one single generalization, ignoring the multiple cultures that make up that entire part of the globe? The answer lies in the “Orientalists” themselves, studying the East but never truly understanding it due to the want of exoticism. The

Cited: Nishihara, Daisuke. “Said, Orientalism, and Japan.” Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics 25, Edward Said and Critical Decolonization. Cairo, Egypt: American University in Cairo, 2005. 241-253. Print. Prakash, Gyan. “Orientalism Now.” History and Theory 34. Wiley Online Library. Web. 26 October 2012.