gingerreadsnf's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
Very dense but necessary read with which to re-frame our understanding of the Middle East and how our current comprehension is in large part shaped by narratives of the Europeans who encountered, constructed, and disseminated the information they gathered in their studies.
amid's review against another edition
5.0
This is a book I wish I had read much earlier in my life.
Edward Said's Orientalism is an influential work of cultural criticism. It explores how the West perceives and represents the East, particularly in academic, literary, and cultural contexts. This analysis gives rise to the concept of "Orientalism" as a means by which the West "otherizes" and subjugates Eastern societies and cultures.
This is a profound book that dismantles common stereotypes, interrogates prevailing viewpoints, and inspires readers to perceive the world from diverse perspectives. It's not just a book that gives you more knowledge; it changes the way you think, making it a truly exceptional read.
Edward Said's Orientalism is an influential work of cultural criticism. It explores how the West perceives and represents the East, particularly in academic, literary, and cultural contexts. This analysis gives rise to the concept of "Orientalism" as a means by which the West "otherizes" and subjugates Eastern societies and cultures.
This is a profound book that dismantles common stereotypes, interrogates prevailing viewpoints, and inspires readers to perceive the world from diverse perspectives. It's not just a book that gives you more knowledge; it changes the way you think, making it a truly exceptional read.
savvylit's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
5.0
Orientalism is an info-dense yet acute deep dive into a Western tradition of anti-Arab, xenophobic, and Islamophobic sentiment in the West. Edward Said traces the history of "area studies" focused on the East from the discipline's early European beginnings to modern American imperialism. From the first, Said reveals that Orientalist studies always focused on proving the entire region as a complete opposite to the West, or Occident. Said carefully analyzes texts that were once considered authoritative on the entire Orient. These texts were exclusively written by Europeans and exclusively obsessed with viewing the East as a dismissible monolith. These "scholars" were also obsessed with quoting each other, preferring the opinions of their "expert" predecessors over any perspective directly from an actual resident of an Eastern nation.
I was sickened to be able to track the way that a handful of racist generalizations became established as fact over the course of a few centuries. What started as a supposed analysis of language or culture eventually became (mis)information used to make devastating global policy decisions. Most disturbingly of all was how eerily familiar I found the stereotypes that Said pulled from Orientalist literature. Though this book was published in 1978, I - as a US citizen who grew up post-9/11 - shamefully recognized the ongoing perpetuation of these racist ideas. Islamophobia and East-focused xenophobia are still such an ingrained part of the Western culture in which I live.
In light of the current genocide of Palestinians, Said's analysis is perhaps as relevant as ever. There is one passage in particular that I keep noticing over and over again in the Western reporting on Gaza: focusing on the Palestinian people as a mass. This idea of a faceless mass allows news outlets to rob Palestinians of their individuality. Which in turn makes it very easy for reporters and viewers alike to maintain racist generalizations. And generalizations in turn mean that those of us consuming the media can look away from the tragedy because it's just something that's happening "over there" to "them."
I was sickened to be able to track the way that a handful of racist generalizations became established as fact over the course of a few centuries. What started as a supposed analysis of language or culture eventually became (mis)information used to make devastating global policy decisions. Most disturbingly of all was how eerily familiar I found the stereotypes that Said pulled from Orientalist literature. Though this book was published in 1978, I - as a US citizen who grew up post-9/11 - shamefully recognized the ongoing perpetuation of these racist ideas. Islamophobia and East-focused xenophobia are still such an ingrained part of the Western culture in which I live.
In light of the current genocide of Palestinians, Said's analysis is perhaps as relevant as ever. There is one passage in particular that I keep noticing over and over again in the Western reporting on Gaza: focusing on the Palestinian people as a mass. This idea of a faceless mass allows news outlets to rob Palestinians of their individuality. Which in turn makes it very easy for reporters and viewers alike to maintain racist generalizations. And generalizations in turn mean that those of us consuming the media can look away from the tragedy because it's just something that's happening "over there" to "them."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, War, Colonisation, and Racism
sl4u's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
slow-paced
4.5
A book I think anyone would benefit from reading at least once. I think I could come back to this in a few months or years, reread it, and still get something more out of it.
Said roasted the Orientalists so hard at times, hence the "funny" mood.
Said roasted the Orientalists so hard at times, hence the "funny" mood.
artemistheactivist's review against another edition
4.0
This book addresses the prejudiced, dominating framework that has represented the Oriental and
the Orient for centuries and lasts up to the present. He calls this framework ‘Orientalism’; it is about
all things considered Oriental, the Oriental deemed as an aspect of the West. In his book he writes:
‘Orientalism (...) has less to do with the Orient than it does with ‘our’ world.’ and ‘Only the Orientalist
can interpret the Orient because according to literature, the Oriental was incapable of representing
himself’ (Said, E. 2003). ‘Orientalism’ can be defined as the study of the Orient, the idea of Europeans
against all non-Europeans, Occident versus Orient. The Orient extended from China to the
Mediterranean Sea.
Said choose to mainly speak about the Middle-East, the Arabs and Islam. This is because he was born
in the Middle-East and he found that the framework ‘Orientalism’ misrepresented, stereotyped and
dehumanized his culture and people.
Said’s main point in Orientalism, I believe, is that the concept we have of the
Orient and Oriental is not real, it was invented by the West (mainly England, France and the United
States) through colonialism and centuries of misrepresentation in art, literature and current media.
With ‘Orientalism’ the West was able to demand power over the East, show Western ‘superiority’,
create generalities and stereotypes and establish a division between West and East. I think Said’s
theory comes down to that ‘Orientalism’ is actually drawn from perceived knowledge and power and
therefore ‘Orientalism’ is a system for restraining and governing the Orient, rather than actual
knowledge of the Orient.
The author’s discourse was inspired by Michel Foucault’s notion of discourse, that discourses are
shaped by institutionalize ways of representation and that they define social reality, but Said added
that the discourse he described was made and affected by colonialism.
I think the book is of great importance for people’s general understanding of world
dynamics and prejudice. The reading is also important because it confronts the West with its fixed
ideas of the East. Therefore I believe that Orientalism should be approachable to everyone. Although
the book is translated in many languages, I would argue that it is not as accessible as one might think.
I found the book written with quite a challenging vocabulary which could create an obstacle for most
readers.
What surprised me while reading, was that my conception of the subject of the book was changed.
At first, I thought it would be about the Orient or in this case the Middle East, but through the pages I
started to realize that the text actually concerns the West. About how the Orient is represented in
the West.
the Orient for centuries and lasts up to the present. He calls this framework ‘Orientalism’; it is about
all things considered Oriental, the Oriental deemed as an aspect of the West. In his book he writes:
‘Orientalism (...) has less to do with the Orient than it does with ‘our’ world.’ and ‘Only the Orientalist
can interpret the Orient because according to literature, the Oriental was incapable of representing
himself’ (Said, E. 2003). ‘Orientalism’ can be defined as the study of the Orient, the idea of Europeans
against all non-Europeans, Occident versus Orient. The Orient extended from China to the
Mediterranean Sea.
Said choose to mainly speak about the Middle-East, the Arabs and Islam. This is because he was born
in the Middle-East and he found that the framework ‘Orientalism’ misrepresented, stereotyped and
dehumanized his culture and people.
Said’s main point in Orientalism, I believe, is that the concept we have of the
Orient and Oriental is not real, it was invented by the West (mainly England, France and the United
States) through colonialism and centuries of misrepresentation in art, literature and current media.
With ‘Orientalism’ the West was able to demand power over the East, show Western ‘superiority’,
create generalities and stereotypes and establish a division between West and East. I think Said’s
theory comes down to that ‘Orientalism’ is actually drawn from perceived knowledge and power and
therefore ‘Orientalism’ is a system for restraining and governing the Orient, rather than actual
knowledge of the Orient.
The author’s discourse was inspired by Michel Foucault’s notion of discourse, that discourses are
shaped by institutionalize ways of representation and that they define social reality, but Said added
that the discourse he described was made and affected by colonialism.
I think the book is of great importance for people’s general understanding of world
dynamics and prejudice. The reading is also important because it confronts the West with its fixed
ideas of the East. Therefore I believe that Orientalism should be approachable to everyone. Although
the book is translated in many languages, I would argue that it is not as accessible as one might think.
I found the book written with quite a challenging vocabulary which could create an obstacle for most
readers.
What surprised me while reading, was that my conception of the subject of the book was changed.
At first, I thought it would be about the Orient or in this case the Middle East, but through the pages I
started to realize that the text actually concerns the West. About how the Orient is represented in
the West.
lifeinpoetry's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Islamophobia, Colonisation, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia
vicioustrollope's review against another edition
4.0
classic text that gave birth to post-colonial studies