Orientalism
Orientalism
by: Abdelrahman Hussein
Orientalism, "the corporate institution for dealing with the Orient" (Edward Said), is witnessed and implemented every day and everywhere. It can catch your attention, or it can go completely unnoticed; either way, Orientalism happens daily. The finding of Orientalism was Edward Said's attempt at stripping the negative connotation associated with the Middle East and Southeast Asia due to the counteractive stereotypes and ignorant depictions birthed by colonial powers. Edward Said, a literary scholar or might be known as the "father of post-colonial theory," came up with Orientalism's thought process. The people of the Orient-- Middle Eastern/ Southeastern Asian, are being discriminated against in literature. Examples of such can be drawn out of the gothic fiction novel written by Mary Shell, "Frankenstein." Thus, these negative connotations and stereotypical directions are exposed by Orientalism. It is overlooking the roots of such radical ideas stemming from European/ Western colonialism.
What is the history of Orientalism? How did it begin? And only, why did it start? To answer these questions, let us go back a couple of decades in history from this period-- 2020. In 1978, Edward said came up with the proposition that the Western world formulated self-serving depictions regarding the people of the Orient. These directions portray them as lacking knowledge, dumb, undeveloped, monstrous, violent, unusual, etc. The west superiors themselves and, on the other hand, downgrades and interiorizes everyone else. Consequently, by viewing everyone as so, colonialism and such terms used to "enlighten civilization" emerge. Because the colonized are regarded as astray sheep and require immediate help or, in other words, reform, that particular mindset is seen way too frequently throughout history. Such as the colonization of Africa and the invasion of Iraq by the Bush and Obama administrations. Another example is majorly shown in the Disney movie Aladin by subjecting and exoticizing the human female body as strippers/ belly dancers.
If you ask your self about stereotyping, you will define it as a racist point of view. There is so much behind stereotyping that needs to be uncovered. There are significant political agenda's behind it. The people of the Orient have always been subject to stereotypes without an opportunity to define themselves, ranging from colonial control to literature. The Orient has been given a set of behaviors that can't be eliminated; Orientalism is a lens. In current modern-day society, one would think that it's time to surpass this mindset, and that's precisely what should be done. Orientalism is also known as the stereotyping of the East. Stereotyping is the Western media's attempt to cast inferiority upon the Eastern world. They provoke Islamic values as subjective and oppressive. In such a case, the Hijab is shown to be an uncivilized barrier from education, development, and civilization. Regarding the Muslim/Middle Eastern male, having a beard or wearing a religious turban is perceived as a terrorist. This takes a toll on the Muslim youth character because society tells us that their religion is practically a dull, uncivilized, abusive, worn-out practice. This strips and belittles the Islamic/Middle Eastern identity in the youth, prompting extreme misunderstandings in religion and culture. The significant impact of these stereotypes can be seen through discriminatory policies such as the Trump Administration's "Muslim ban," which unfairly banned people's travel purely based on their faith.
The post-colonial theory still lingers in prior colonized nations to this day. But to understand postmodern culture and postcolonialism, we need to learn about colonialism. In this way, colonialism began when a group of western nations rose in political and military figures, which made them superior to any part of the globe—leading to a form of domination that allowed taking advantage of its power to reasonable control of inferior nations—previewed in invading countries profoundly wealthy in resources yet lacking the proper machinery to grant themselves the value of those resources. In detail, by using its superior military power and enslaving, forcing, and manipulating the natives of that particular nation into giving them full economic power and political control, which shapes the people's culture or transformed their culture into a different entity. The West birthed a form of governance that reforms and influences the economy, culture, religion, language, art, and overall life to become more "modern" and western-like, which stripped nations of their real roots.
In conclusion, we viewed the previous claims and theories as actualities that shape our everyday world subconsciously. It goes unseen many times. Hence, we need to be reeducated on these topics to avoid falling victim to these misconceived ideologies. The finding of Orientalism was Edward Said's attempt at stripping the negative connotation associated with the Middle East and Southeast Asia due to the counteractive stereotypes and ignorant depictions birthed by colonial powers. Let us rethink the way our society functions; as a suggestion, let's reboot it.
What is the history of Orientalism? How did it begin? And only, why did it start? To answer these questions, let us go back a couple of decades in history from this period-- 2020. In 1978, Edward said came up with the proposition that the Western world formulated self-serving depictions regarding the people of the Orient. These directions portray them as lacking knowledge, dumb, undeveloped, monstrous, violent, unusual, etc. The west superiors themselves and, on the other hand, downgrades and interiorizes everyone else. Consequently, by viewing everyone as so, colonialism and such terms used to "enlighten civilization" emerge. Because the colonized are regarded as astray sheep and require immediate help or, in other words, reform, that particular mindset is seen way too frequently throughout history. Such as the colonization of Africa and the invasion of Iraq by the Bush and Obama administrations. Another example is majorly shown in the Disney movie Aladin by subjecting and exoticizing the human female body as strippers/ belly dancers.
If you ask your self about stereotyping, you will define it as a racist point of view. There is so much behind stereotyping that needs to be uncovered. There are significant political agenda's behind it. The people of the Orient have always been subject to stereotypes without an opportunity to define themselves, ranging from colonial control to literature. The Orient has been given a set of behaviors that can't be eliminated; Orientalism is a lens. In current modern-day society, one would think that it's time to surpass this mindset, and that's precisely what should be done. Orientalism is also known as the stereotyping of the East. Stereotyping is the Western media's attempt to cast inferiority upon the Eastern world. They provoke Islamic values as subjective and oppressive. In such a case, the Hijab is shown to be an uncivilized barrier from education, development, and civilization. Regarding the Muslim/Middle Eastern male, having a beard or wearing a religious turban is perceived as a terrorist. This takes a toll on the Muslim youth character because society tells us that their religion is practically a dull, uncivilized, abusive, worn-out practice. This strips and belittles the Islamic/Middle Eastern identity in the youth, prompting extreme misunderstandings in religion and culture. The significant impact of these stereotypes can be seen through discriminatory policies such as the Trump Administration's "Muslim ban," which unfairly banned people's travel purely based on their faith.
The post-colonial theory still lingers in prior colonized nations to this day. But to understand postmodern culture and postcolonialism, we need to learn about colonialism. In this way, colonialism began when a group of western nations rose in political and military figures, which made them superior to any part of the globe—leading to a form of domination that allowed taking advantage of its power to reasonable control of inferior nations—previewed in invading countries profoundly wealthy in resources yet lacking the proper machinery to grant themselves the value of those resources. In detail, by using its superior military power and enslaving, forcing, and manipulating the natives of that particular nation into giving them full economic power and political control, which shapes the people's culture or transformed their culture into a different entity. The West birthed a form of governance that reforms and influences the economy, culture, religion, language, art, and overall life to become more "modern" and western-like, which stripped nations of their real roots.
In conclusion, we viewed the previous claims and theories as actualities that shape our everyday world subconsciously. It goes unseen many times. Hence, we need to be reeducated on these topics to avoid falling victim to these misconceived ideologies. The finding of Orientalism was Edward Said's attempt at stripping the negative connotation associated with the Middle East and Southeast Asia due to the counteractive stereotypes and ignorant depictions birthed by colonial powers. Let us rethink the way our society functions; as a suggestion, let's reboot it.
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