Edward Said About Orientalism - Assignment Example

On Orientalism I. Summarize the main theme of each section Introduction Edward Said’s views on Orientalism in fact has thrown light on the Western understanding of the Middle East and has influenced various disciplines of study such as literature, anthropology, political science and cultural studies. Edward Said argues that the Westerners’ perceived notion of the Orients is distorted by prejudiced and stereotyped views. The Europeans’ outlook towards countries and people in the Middle East is colored by certain interests and very often Middle East people were perceived to be threatening and violent. It was the Arab-Israeli War of 1973 and the misrepresentation of Arabs in arts that enhanced Said’s interest in Orientalism. Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism is divided into six sections and each of them is summarized below: The Repertory of Orientalism: According to Edward Said there exists an organized form of writing that permeate ‘a kind of repertory of images’ where the East has been depicted as “a kind of mysterious place full of secrets and monsters” (Said). Historians very often used to refer to “the Marvels of the East”. These representations have nothing to do with the actual reality. Thus, said argues that one can never find realistic representations of the Orient whether it is in painting, literature, music or in any other art forms. Similarly, the descriptions of the Arabs by experts in books spread the same images whether they are written in the nineteenth or twentieth century. Thus, it can be observed that there is a misconception that the Arabs and the people in the Middle East do not develop like the Westerners. These writings thus portray “a kind of image of the timeless Orient, as if the Orient, unlike the West, doesnt develop, it stays the same” (Said). One can clearly observe that these representations of the orient contradict themselves with history and can be understood as the mere creation of Europeans. Orientalism & Empire: For Said, Orientalism is constructed within ‘the history of imperial conquest’ and for him Napoleons conquest of Egypt in 1798 has paved the way for a ‘new kind of imperial and colonial conquest, that inaugurates the project of Orientalism” (Said). It can be seen that the imperialists who conquered colonies in the East recorded a so-called history of those nations designed for the Europeans rather for the native colonists. On the other hand, one cannot find a Western history that is pioneered or written by the orients. American Orientalism: Said here purports that the American experience of the Orient differs considerably from that of British and French Orientalism as it is “much more indirect, much more based on abstractions” and one can also notice that “the American Orientalism is very politicized by the presence of Israel for which America is the main ally” (Said). The main focus of America’s ally with Israel is to create a Jewish Western state in the midst of the Islamic Oriental World. The anti-Islamic factor governs American Orientalism in the Arab world in the Middle East whereas in Iran and Saudi Arabia American interests lie on the nations’ oil resources. Said also points out that the activities of the Hamas terrorists is often highlighted in the Western Media whereas the miseries and struggles of millions of Palestinians at the hands of Israel go unnoticed. It is because of the effects of Orientalism that an American fails to appreciate any books or films about Middle East, “that are not colored politically by this conflict, in which the Arabs almost always play the role of terrorists and violent people and irrational and so on and so forth” (Said). Orientalism Today-the Demonization of Islam in the News and Popular culture: Said points out that there is a conscious attempt made by American Orientalism to project “a threatening and demonized figure of the Islamic terrorist” through visual Medias, journals and Hollywood. Very often, the media highlights only those negative terrorist upheavals that stem from the Middle East which portray people from the Middle East as fanatic, extreme and violent. Said’s own Covering Islam seeks to protect Muslims against the misrepresentation in the popular media. Terrorist attacks such as the bombing of the World trade centre and such television films as Jihad in America have accelerated the tendency to view the Muslim community vulnerable towards terrorism. On the other hand, one does not make such generalizations as this in the case of the Oklahoma City bombing where the culprit was a Christian fundamentalist. Said also blames the advocates of irresponsible journalism who propagate the notion that the Arabs are after the destruction of America and that Islam is synonymous with terror and demon. Thus, Said argues that the human side of Islamic and especially Arabic world is never highlighted whereas automatic images of terror and violence are being propagated through newspapers, television and movies. Said makes it clear that most of the Hollywood films depict Muslim people as villains and fanatics and “many films end up with huge numbers of bodies, Muslim bodies strewn all over the place” (Said). One of the greatest problems of Orientalism, according to Edward Said, is the vast generalizations about Islam and the nature of Islam. The power of oriental discourse could be seen in Princess Dianna’s case where England’s leading newspaper The Sunday Times described her alliance with her suitor Dodi Fayad as an outcome of Muslim conspiracy from Mecca. Orientalism in Action-The Media & the Oklahoma City Bomb: As soon as the Oklahoma City Bombing took place in 1995 the Western Media concluded that its roots can be traced back to the Middle East. Commentators, newspapers, news magazines and various channels across the world presumed that it was a Middle East style bombing. The FBI was after three men who were supposed to be of Middle Eastern origin. Later, it was proved that the bombing had been undertaken by McVeigh who was totally American. Orientalism and the Palestinian Question: When the State of Israel was formed in 1948, it left millions of Palestinians homeless and stateless including Said’s family. Said strongly believes that finding a solution to the conflicts in the Middle East necessitates resolving the question of Palestine. For this, it is essential to overcome “the racist legacy of Orientalism that stresses the separation of people from each other, that regards difference as a threat that must be contained or destroyed” (Said). Said asks the audience to listen to the Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci who exhorts to understand one’s self in relation to others and to cherish a vision of co-existence. One should always bear in mind that no race is superior or inferior to others; similarly, the differences should be respected and understood without any compulsion. II. Pick two sections and carefully analyze them from your own point of view The two sections chosen are American Orientalism and Orientalism Today-the Demonization of Islam in the News and Popular culture. Both these sections have utmost relevance today as one can find the powerful influence of Orientalism in these sections. American Orientalism is quite evident in the nation’s foreign policy too. The United States’ recent military and diplomatic interventions in the Arab community offer the best testimony to this. While America’s war against Iraq, its killing of Sadam Hussain and Osama Bin Laden can be viewed as part of its fight against dictatorships and terrorism one can also notice elements of Orientalism behind such steps. Said, in his interview, points out that the American experience of the Orient is much less direct compared to the direct colonial experience that Britain had in India or that of the French had in North Africa. It can be observed that the main focus of America’s ally with Israel is to create a Jewish Western state in the midst of the Islamic Oriental World. America’s supporting stance towards Israel is evident in the way the American media portrays the Israel –Palestine issue. It can be seen that the activities of the Hamas terrorists is often highlighted in the media whereas the miseries and struggles of millions of Palestinians at the hands of Israel go uncovered. Similarly, there is a conscious effort made by the Hollywood film industry to portray Arabs as irrational terrorists or violent people. Therefore, it can be understood that American Orientalism is governed by anti-Islam agenda. The section, Orientalism Today-the Demonization of Islam in the News and Popular culture, reviews how the popular media projects “a threatening and demonized figure of the Islamic terrorist” through visual Medias, journals and Hollywood. There has been strong opposition to the United States’ anti-Arab racism where the Arab Muslim community is never respected. Analyzing a number of media representations of the people in Middle East, said makes it clear that the media highlights only those negative terrorist upheavals that portray people from the Middle East as fanatic, extreme and violent. It is quite evident that media representations of terrorist attacks on World trade centre and Jihad in America permeate a lurking suspicion around the Arab Muslim community towards terrorism. One also needs to bear in mind the fact that the Oklahoma City bombing had not been so elaborately covered by the Western media as the culprit was a Christian fundamentalist. Therefore, it is evident that irresponsible journalism is at work to portray Islam as synonymous with terror and demon. As most of the Arab countries are dictatorships they are greatly in need of American patronage-a sound reason why they do not criticize American Orientalism. Thus, the Arab community regards itself as subordinate to and inferior to the West. It can also be seen that the good aspects of the Arabic world remains only in the shadow whereas automatic images of terror and violence are being propagated through newspapers, television and movies. Said makes it clear that most of the Hollywood films depict Muslim people as villains and fanatics and “many films end up with huge numbers of bodies, Muslim bodies strewn all over the place” (Said). Thus, it can be seen that the media attempts to create false generalizations about Islam and the nature of Islam. It can be concluded that the West regards the Arab world as a threat and enemy competitor and there is an organized Demonization of Islam in the News and Popular culture. III. Critically evaluate the overall strengths or weaknesses of the video and do you recommend it for other viewers? It is worthwhile to analyze the overall strengths or weaknesses of the video. The video has more of advant5ages than disadvantages and so for my part I surely recommend it for other viewers as well. The various video clippings and Said’s own account of how the Middle East is misrepresented in the popular media is most likely to offer fresh insights to any viewers. The video provides a clear cut picture to the viewers regarding how Orientalism governs most of the international diplomatic relations today. One can also see that there exists an organized anti-Islam or anti-Arab racist propaganda behind Orientalism. Thus, this video is sure to convince the readers of the adverse effects of Orientalism and this would prompt one to view media representations of the Middle East more seriously as well as critically. On the other hand, the video seems to be an open propaganda in favor of the Islam and Arab-community and the sole aim of the video sound to be justifying the Middle East. Said’ s argument that the terrorist upheavals pioneered by the Middle east are only isolated episodes cannot be taken for granted and it is quite misleading. History has proved beyond doubt that the Middle East’s involvement in both terrorism and violence. However, the video is sure to help people to become critical viewers of the misrepresentations of the Middle East in the popular culture. Works Cited Said, Edward. “On Orientalism”. Media Education Foundation, 2005. Web. 29 November 2011. . Read More