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ORIENTALISM
October 18, 2007
Somewhere or other, I
imprinted on the idea that
I needed to read Edward I was after a
Said's "Orientalism" (1979). history of the
development of There may be some of
My enthusiasm for this Western ideas what I was after in
waned rapidly once I of exoticism. here, but (a) as
had a copy of the book history, this work is
in my hands... apparently dubious,
(b) the good stuff is
In the introduction he buried under a
name drops Focault -- horribly pompous
which we have learned style, (c) it's pomo
in the intervening out the wazoo.
years, is not a good But then, maybe the
sign -- and worse, he last point implies
invokes Foucault to the other two.
bring in a piece of
jargon that doesn't
seem to add anything I'm skipping the later
to the discussion: introduction added in
Orientalism must be (2004), full of anti-Bush (Since I agree, it
understood as a political ranting that I must be either
"discourse". agree with... "brilliantly
insightful" or
This apparently just Just at a guess: "stale cliche",
means that Orientalism it's a cynical according to mood.)
doesn't exist in a attempt at
vacuum, instead it must distracting his
be understood in the critics by
contexts of political wrapping himself
and social pressures. in a burning flag.
True enough, and
yet, one feels
compelled to We might wonder
comment: "Duh!". what does exist And: is this
in a vacuum. material supposed
to be original?
He then goes off into
some rather pompous Anthropology already
assertions about how has a significant
"The Orient" is not amount of internal
something that *exists* criticism about it's
but rather an idea -- roots in Colonialism...
though one should not
presume that this is an And it already did back
idea that does not in 1979, when this work
correspond to reality appeared.
in any respect.
For that matter, my
All well and good, but you Social Studies teacher
know, considering that this in Junior High School
is a human classification of cautioned us about the
human cultures, we might old stereotypes of
indeed expect it to be "oriental people".
a somewhat rough concept
which is nevertheless not And that was
entirely useless. in 1973 or so.
We might also make the point
that this is true of "humanism", And it is true that the limitations
or "the right wing", or many of these mental tools continually
other such classifications. threaten to undermine any attempt
at saying something intelligent in
these realms, and yet trying to
This book is evidently get by without them entirely seems
intended to be an impossible.
argument against
"Orientalism".
But what Said seems to
mean by this is a European
understanding of "The
Orient", which lumps the Reviewing other criticisms
Middle East in with Asia of Said's work, many people
(but not Southern Africa?). note he is unduly harsh on
the researchers studying
That particular classification "Orientalism" many of whom
is already a dead-letter on the were clearly sympathetic,
American scene, where the interested observers...
concepts we really use are more
like West and East, where the Even Richard Burton,
"Middle East" is in the middle. who one might argue But then
was compromised by if you
his role in "The actually
Great Game". read what
Said
In highly *says*
politicized about
Another common criticism territory like Burton,
is that Said trivializes this, a wedge is it's not
the Arabian world's role often driven all that
in it's own fate, e.g. between reputation terrible.
underrating the role of the and reality.
Ottoman empire.
I need to step carefully
In order to write with Said here -- he's
a tale of the Orient regarded as a dubious
victimized, it's source, but some of the
important that they reasons for that may be
be victims. dubious.
Damn all those Westerners He rubs me the wrong
for promulgating images with his style and his
of "simple peoples". philosophical approach,
and because of that I
need to read him really
carefully if I'm going
If I plunge ahead with to read him at all.
"Orientalism", it's
going to be in hopes
of learning something
from the review of Notably, all his
literature. name dropping
appears to be
of highbrow stuff,
e.g. Flaubert.
LONG_SHADOW
This makes very little
sense to me, except as
an attempt at
impressing other
members of the
literature department.
What about the vast
body of adventure If you wanted to
fiction featuring know where the
nostalgia for "The Winston
Crusades"? Churchill's of
the world got
their view of
Arabia, I would
guess you'd need
to start with
G.A. Henty.
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