The Meaning of Orientalism - Essay Example

? Orientalism Introduction Orientalism has dominated the world of study, writing, vision, and ideologies. Thispaper seeks to discuss the meaning of orientalism and its influence on Western interpretation of past and present cultures in the Near East. The paper will focus on examples of the influence of oreintalism. In addition, the paper will dwell on the works of Edward Said and his views of orientalism. The paper will also focus on Rana Kabbani’s Imperial Fictions on Europe and Myths of Orient. Orientalism refers to a style of ordinary writing, study, and vision, dominated by biased ideologies and perspectives. Orientalism could also be used to mean a manner of seeing, which distorts and emphasizes differences in cultures between the Arabic people and people, from Europe and the U.S. It entails viewing the Arab culture as uncivilized, exotic, dangerous, and backward (Said 1978, p. 2). Said defined orientalism as “the west acceptance of the differences between West and East.” He purported that this acceptance serves as the starting point for detailed social descriptions, epics, theories, and political accounts about the Orient, mind, its people, and customs. In a nutshell, orientalism can be described as the image of the ‘Orient’ portrayed as a thought system. As a scholarly discipline, orientalism began in the eighteenth century following the European colonial conquest of countries in the Middle East. Academic disciplines that addressed the orient flourished; this led to the adoption of orientalism in France, England, and other European nations. Orientalism became the basis of the western exertion of power over the Orient (Near East Cultures). The west viewed the Middle East as an exhausted, stagnant, and defective region, which needed the involvement of Europeans to enhance civilization. This justification happened with an aim to keeping the dreams and ambitions of the western powers alive. Therefore, Oreintalism can be regarded to have originated from the west’s desire to conquer the Near East and exert significant influence (MacKenzie1995, p. 24). Influence of Orientalism on Western Interpretation of Cultures in the Near East Orientalism has had a profound influence on the way Western cultures depict aspects of the cultures from the East. Western writers and designers have always portrayed the East negatively. Further, artists from the west represent the cultures of the East as backward. For example, French artists in the 19th century used orientalism in their description of Eastern cultures (Kennedy 2000, p. 351). These Orientalists used colors, styles, and elements that portrayed Mediterranean countries of the Near East. Westerners have come to adopt eastern styles, motifs, and subject matter in design, architecture, and art. For example, Turquerie as a fashion dominated the western art work from 15th century to 18th century. Therefore, the west has used fashion, and other artistic styles to portray the Near East negatively (Tausch 2006, p. 83). Further, the West depictions of Islamic Moors, especially the Muslim groups of West Asia and North Africa, portray orientalism. For example, in early biblical scenes, Jewish and Roman characters were displayed with exotic costumes. This reflected the culture of clothing such as wearing of turbans in the near East. In addition, the portrayal of oriental carpets in paintings of renaissance depicts the cultures of the Far East (MacKenzie1995, p. 27). As more Western artists travelled to the Middle East, they represented numerous scenes, which entailed aspects of the Oriental culture. They depicted the cultures as exotic owing to its differences. The artists had a keen interest on the Islamic cultures of the Near East. For example, French artists Eugene Delacroix and Jean Leon painted pictures, which depicted Islamic culture. These pictures had an impact on western interpretation of the Western Cultures (Tausch 2006, p. 84). In the West, the use of the orient has continued in the Movies, as westerners use orientalism as an exotic backdrop. For example, western movies featuring Rudolph Valentino have employed the use of the orient. The rich Arabs in robes also became popular themes in the west during the 1970s. In addition, the Arab as a terrorist became a popular villain image in western movies. All these incidences portray the influence of orientalism on the western interpretation of the cultures found in the Far East. Thus, orientalism has played a significant role in the depiction and interpretation of Near East cultures by the West (Tausch 2006, p. 84). Early forms of orientalism occur in European photographs as well as paintings. For example, images from the U.S world’s fair during the 19th and 20th centuries can be regarded as depictions of the orient Near East cultures. These images portray the Near East as a mysterious place with sand, belly dancers, and harems. This reflects the long history of orient fantasies that have remained visible in the modern, popular cultures (Little 2008, p.9). When the French colonized Algeria, they took photographs that portrayed the backward culture and forms of life in Algeria. For example, photographs display the women from Algeria in a manner that seems to be depicting their everyday life. In the actual sense, photographers set up the pictures in the studio. The photos act as a revelation of how the French viewed Algerian customs as strange (MacKenzie1995, p. 32). In modern England, orientalism has become synonymous for goods that come from East Asia. Westerners referred to the people who occupied the parts of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia as mongoloids (Tausch 2006, p. 86). Orientalism had an influence on discrimination against Near East cultures by people from such parts as the United States. Orientalism can, therefore, be regarded as one of the ways through which discrimination against Asians took place. Western cultures interpreted cultures of the near east negatively, with prejudices and stereotypes directed at these cultures. Currently orientalism can be witnessed in instances where the West views Near East cultures as terrorist groups. Orientalism and the western view of the Near East cultures have had an impact on the interactions between these cultures and the west. For example, the United States and the Near East have witnessed different ideologies that have led to war. During the twentieth and the twenty first century, the Middle East has had conflicts with the United States. These conflicts seem to be powered by the western perception of the Near East as terrorists. The interpretation of the Near East has seen a rise in endless and bloody wars aimed at bringing an end to terrorist attacks. For example, the gulf crisis and the Afghanistan war portray the Near East cultures as criminals (Little 2008, p 9). Kennedy (2000, p. 353) observes that the West have portrayed Near East cultures in ways that appear derogatory. Since the beginning of the nineteenth century, Americans portrayed Near Easterners as exotic, autocratic, and fanatical. For example, narratives of captivity such as Slave in Barbary and plays such as Slaves in Algiers depict the western representation of the Near East. The idea of Orientalism became so engrained in the westerners such that the west constructed numerous negative views of the East. Little (2008) concludes that artists from the west narrated their encounters of the Near East with a lot of biases and stereotyping. For example, Mark Twain, a famous American writer described Near Easterners as untrustworthy. This description indicates the extent of bias towards Near East cultures. Edward Said on Orientalism Edward Said used to be an advocate for human rights on behalf of the people of Palestine. He can be regarded as a theorist who wrote about America and Palestine. In his work, Edward Said notes that orientalism can be traced to the times of European colonization and dominance of the Near East. He contends that western views on the orient paved way for the Europeans to rationalize their colonization of Arab States. The “West” constructed the “East” by seeing them as inferior and in need of rescue from the West (Kennedy 2000, p. 356). Said critiqued and evaluated the beliefs based on the orient. His discussion of Orientalism formed an essential basis for studies on post colonialism. He highlighted the inappropriateness and inaccuracies of the assumptions and stereotypes leveled against Arabs and the entire Near East cultures. He argued that the Orient represented beliefs developed by political forces, which brought orientalism into the West (Tausch 2006, p. 87). To him, Orientalism could be viewed as the West’s representation and description of what they considered as inferiority. Said further stated that orientalism could be regarded as a style of thinking, which bases its arguments on the epistemological differences between the Orient and the Occident. He believed that the Orient represented the Eastern customs and their way of doing things while the Occident represented the Western cultures. Edward Said talked of orientalism in the contemporary world. He purported that Orientalism can be seen in modern depictions of Near East cultures by the West. The west portrays the Arabs as dishonest, untrustworthy, irrational, and menacing. He stated that these notions of the west act as foundations for western ideologies and policies (Said 1978, p. 6). Said argued that these instruments have some impact, which becomes stronger due to the institutions that people build around them. According to Said, ideals of the Orient have become propagated in the institutions that make up the state. He believes that the idea of the Orient degrades the subject matter, who mainly consists of people from the Arab world. Said argues that, just like the Occident, the Orient cannot be regarded as a fact of nature, which is inert. He considered Orientalism as an idea that has a tradition and history of imagery, thought, and vocabulary. This history and thought has given Orentalism presence as well as reality for the Western world. Thus, Orientalism as an idea has some corresponding reality. Therefore, to Said, cultures and ideologies cannot be understood without studying the power that they configure. He contends that the relationship between the West and the Near East can be viewed as that of domination and exercise of power. The west exercises its powers against the East; this enables the West to view the Near East as inferior and inadequate (Said 1978, p. 8). Edward Said questions the underlying assumptions on Orientalism and Orientalist arguments. He states that people should reject orientalism and prejudices based on culture, religion, and race. He advocates for the use of narratives rather than what can be viewed in the interpretation of the Orient. Historians and artists should have a view of the world that appreciates all cultures and the cultural differences that exist among regions (Kennedy 2000, p. 357). Differences between the East and the West should be critically evaluated to enhance objectivity. Said argues that the Orient can only be studied in an Orientalist approach. He represents the plight of the Orient persons by arguing that they should be given a voice. Rana Kabbani's Imperial Fictions - Europe's Myths of Orient. In Imperial Fictions: Europe’s Myths of Orient, Rana Kabbani explores western myths and stereotypes towards the East. She portrays how these fantasies and myths have persisted for a long period. She notes that these myths came into being during crusades aimed at combating Islam. The myths have propagated sexual, cultural, and social stereotypes, which dominated the works of western artists. Rana asserts that the French and the British conveyed negative images of the Near East in paintings. She argues that they portrayed Near East cultures as inferior and dangerous. As a result, the west justified the need for colonizing and civilizing the East (Kabbani 2009, p. 18). Imperial fictions entail an analysis of European orient, which is expressed in paintings and writings. According to Rana, negative western perceptions of the East can be seen in the contemporary society. Such perceptions have resulted to endless tensions between the Western cultures and the East. As a Muslim feminist, Rana Kabbani depicts the negative views that the west has had on the cultures from the East (Kabbani 2009, p. 20). She considers the western views as stereotypical, which do not have any basis. Rana emphasizes on the Victorian artists together with adventurers who came up with Orientalism in the 19th century. She reviews the works of painters, scholars, poets and soldiers who took part in reinforcing each other’s sexual biases during the conquest of the Near east and North Africa. She examines the fantasy of the European males through sexual deviance. Conclusion Orientalism refers to the western views and stereotyping of cultures from the Near East. This ideology has dominated for long, with the west having negative views of cultures from the Near East. Western artists such as painters and writers have portrayed the Near East as backward and uncivilized. Western artists seem to be obsessed with the images of women from the East. In the contemporary world, Orientalism can be seen in such instances as movies, which portray the East as terrorists. Edward Said has explored the meaning and implications of Orientalism. According to him, Orientalism can be viewed as one of the ways Europeans used to exert influence on the East. Rana Kabbani critiques orientalism as the basis of conflicts between the west and the Near East. Reference List Kennedy, V 2000, Edward Said: a critical introduction, Malden, Wiley Blackwell. p. 350-358. Kabbani, R 2009, Imperial Fictions: Europe’s Myths of Orient. London, Saqi. p. 18-25. Little, D 2008, American orientalism: the United States and the Middle East since 1945, North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press. p. 9-15. MacKenzie, J 1995, Orientalism: history, theory, and the arts, Manchester, Manchester University Press. p. 20-43. Said, E 1978, Orientalism: Western Representations of the Orient. London, Routledge and Kegan Paul. p. 1-16. Tausch, A 2006, The West, Europe and the Muslim world, New York, Nova Publishers. p. 83-90. Read More

 

Read More