Nonfiction And Reference Codexery

Orientalism (book)

Last updated

The work established "Orientalism" as a critical concept describing the Western world's commonly contemptuous depiction of the Orient, which includes societies throughout Asia and North Africa.[1] Said's book influenced literary theory, cultural criticism, and Middle Eastern studies, becoming a foundational text in post-colonial studies.[2]

Making and release

"Orientalism" was published in 1978 by Edward Said, a Palestinian-American professor of English at Columbia University.[3] Said distinguishes between at least three separate but interrelated meanings of the term "Orientalism"[4] The book's greatest intellectual impact was upon literary theory, cultural studies, history, and human geography, originating the field of post-colonial studies.[5] Said's method of post-structuralist analysis derived from techniques of Jacques Derrida and Michel Foucault.[5]

The book's cover features a detail-image of the Orientalist painting "The Snake Charmer" from 1880, though the survey did not include Orientalist painting or visual arts.[6] Said's examination focused on British and French forms of Orientalism that underpinned the British Empire and the French Empire.[7] An Afterword from 1995 and a Preface from 2003 were composed by Said for later editions, responding to critiques of the work as cultural criticism.[8]

What the cited sources add

Chibber highlights that Said argued Orientalism was not just a consequence of colonialism but also one of its causes, creating cultural conditions for colonial projects.[9] Buruma states that Said contributed to making the title into a pejorative term by ignoring different Orientalist traditions.[10] Taheri also notes that Irwin's book suffers from careless editing with some repetitions and factual errors.[11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Orientalism (book)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought (3rd ed.). 1999. p. 617. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Orientalism (book)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Howe, Stephen. 2008 "Dangerous mind?." New Humanist 123.; The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism (3rd ed.). 1994. pp. 642–43, 581–83. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Valiunas, "Encountering Islam", Claremont Review of Books. facts only, no text reused. claremontreviewofbooks.com
  4. Wikipedia, "Orientalism (book)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Said, "Orientalism", Penguin Books, 2003 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Orientalism (book)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tibawi, "English-speaking Orientalists: A Critique of Their Approach to Islam and Arab Nationalism", Islamic Quarterly, 1964, p. 25–45; Abdel-Malek, "L'orientalisme en crise" ("Orientalism in Crisis")", Diogène, 1963, p. 109–41; Rodinson, Maxime. 1963. "Bilan des études mohammadiennes." Revue Historique. p. 465.1.; Southern, Richard William. [1962] 1978. Western Views of Islam in the Middle Ages. Cambridge: Harvard UP. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Orientalism (book)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tromans, Nicholas, et al. The Lure of the East, British Orientalist Painting, pp. 6, 11 (quoted), pp. 23–25, 2008, Tate Publishing, .; Clifford, "Orientalism [book review]", History and Theory, 1980, p. 204–223 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Orientalism (book)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Eagleton, Terry. Eastern Block (book review of For Lust of Knowing: The Orientalists and Their Enemies, 2006, by Robert Irwin) , New Statesman, 13 February 2006 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Orientalism (book)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Oleg Grabar, Edward Said, Bernard Lewis, "Orientalism: An Exchange", New York Review of Books, Vol. 29, No. 13. 12 August 1982. Accessed 4 January 2010.; Said, "Orientalism", Penguin Books, 2003; Said, "Orientalism", Penguin Books, 2003 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Chibber, "Orientalism and Its Afterlives", Catalyst, 2020. facts only, no text reused. catalyst-journal.com
  10. Buruma, "Orientalism today is just another form of insult", The Guardian, 16 June 2008. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
  11. "For Lust of Knowing the Orientalists and their Enemies", 15 May 2006. facts only, no text reused. meforum.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Orientalism (book) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Test yourself on TriviaCafe: Who wrote "Orientalism": Pliny the Elder, Edward Said, Charles Darwin or Viktor Frankl? · More literature trivia

More in Nonfiction And Reference

Progress and PovertyMan's Search for MeaningThe Open Society and Its EnemiesThe Origins of TotalitarianismThe Phenomenology of SpiritSuicide (Durkheim book)Spinoza's EthicsSelf-help bookTextbookThe Common Sense Book of Baby and Child CareThe Communist ManifestoThe Concept of the Political

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

Spotted an error? Know more?

Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced

Comments

Loading…
Open in the interactive codex →