Edward Said opens his introduction to Orientalism by
arguing that "The Orient was almost a European invention"
(Orientalism, p.1). He goes on to explain that "the Orient has helped to
define Europe (or the West) as its contrasting image, idea, personality,
experience" (ibid, p.1-2). Said claims that Orientalism is a man-made discourse,
alluding to the Foucaultian
influence on his book. The fact that Orientalism is a discourse does not mean
it is a lie that would simply disappear by pointing out the truth. It is rather
a construction of reality which is embedded in very factual mechanism of
reality ranging from politics and military through law and economics all the
way to literature and cinema. All these rely on what Said calls "an
ontological and epistemological distinction made between "the Orient"
and (most of the time) "the
Occident" (ibid, p.2)
Said's Orientalism analyses mostly texts, but he strongly
holds that there is no separation between ideas, images and representations and
actual material reality. Therefore he uses his analysis of texts to show how
Orientalism has formed as a highly powerful system of control due to the
combination of actual institutions of power and discursive ones. Both military
and literary excursions, both political and cultural endeavors, both
administrative and anthropological practices and theories all served together
to establish Europe's superiority over the Orient.
Said continues to blame contemporary research in being
Eurocentric by not recognizing its own bias position and the political nature
of its so called "pure" knowledge. Said demonstrates how a
"canon" of knowledge was crystallized to serve as the basis for
everything that could be written by the West about the East (and even if an
Eastern person were to write about himself, he would also have the abide by
these premises in order to be heard and considered).
In the final part of his introduction to Orientalism Said
states his own personal dimension and biographical interest in his subject of
study, acknowledging their political influence on his research.
Next summary: Chapter 1: The Scope of Orientalism
See also:
Next summary: Chapter 1: The Scope of Orientalism
See also:
