Orientalism

ORIENTALISM


In Edward Said’s thesis entitled, Orientalism he examines the history of “Orientalism”. “It is a way of coming to terms with the Orient that is based on the Orient’s special place in European Western experience”. That is, Europe’s vast and rich history with their geographical neighbours and how this affected one another’s rise. Europe’s history with the Orient goes back to the times of colonies. While Said notes that America’s new history is more recently defined with Asiatic wars in Japan and Korea. Orientalism is vaster in its definition. Said describes three meanings of Orientalism. There is a scholarly approach to the study. “Anyone who teaches, writes about, or researches the Orient…is an Orientalist.” (Said, 20). The term is less favoured today because it denotes a certain sense of superiority over the Orient. Mainly, however “Orientalism is a style of thought based upon an ontological and epistemological distinction mad...