The
third and final chapter on Edward Said's "Orinetalism" is devoted to
exploring the most recent (for Said's time) developments in Orientalism and the
manner in which the Orient was perceived and treated by the Occident.
Said
opens chapter 3 of "Orientalism" by describing how European colonialism
was the geographical basis of Orientalism, both in geo-political and cultural
aspects. Orientalism and colonialism were both driven by a quest for knowledge
and power and their results and products were knowledge and power (see Foucault on knowledge and power).
Said
then moves on to talk about 20th century politics and change in the
relationship between East and West. One of the main differences in the 20th
century is that Orientalists became much more involved in the everyday lives of
Orientals, unlike their predecessors who were uninvolved observers. People
studying non-Western cultures attempted to live with them and integrate with
them (like Lawrence of Arabia for example). This was not driven by
a wish to resemble the Orients but rather by a wish to gain more knowledge
about them and to rule them better.
Like
in chapter 2 of "Orientalism", Said explores works by important
Orientalists (like Massignon and Gibb) that
now take on a more liberal position, but without losing their bias and
prejudice. The main attempt was to portray Islam as a weak and inferior
religion.
Said
holds the center of Orientalism shifted from Europe to the US following World
War 1. Orientalsim in the US was related to social sciences (unlike linguistics
in Europe). Orientalism as a field of study was aimed to assist the government
in finding ways to control non-Western societies. Decolonization processes
following World War 2 did not mean the end of Orientalism which was made
implicit instead of explicit. Even in the age of globalization and higher
interaction between East and West Arabs are all terrorists while all Japanese
know Karate.
Said
concludes "Orientalism" by arguing that Orientals should get a less
passive position in the construction of their own image. He also warns about
the practice of making generalizations in human sciences.
Previous summary: Chapter 2: Orientalist Structures and Restructures
See also:
Previous summary: Chapter 2: Orientalist Structures and Restructures
See also:
