Orientalism
History of Culture
April 20, 2012
Back to Basics
Culture
Context
Positionality
Ethnocentricity
“Unbiased”,
“apolitical”,
“objective” academics
and scientists in the
Colonial context:
study ‘the native’
Ethnic superiority as
scientific fact
Handmaidens of
colonialism
Walt Disney’s
Lady and the Tramp
1955
“Siamese Cat Song”
Edward Said, 1935-2003
Published 1978
To consider while watching the video:
While the focus is largely on Arabs, think
about how the content of the video can be
translated to Pakistanis as well
To what degree have you, as people of the
Orient, adopted these views yourself?
Debrief
Do you agree that a concept like Orientalism
exists?
Does it apply to society nowadays? How?
Is it constrained to pop culture/entertainment or
does it influence political, social, and economic
decisions as well?
Is prejudice unavoidable when discussing
the “Other”?
“How does one represent other cultures?
What is another culture? Is the notion of a
distinct culture (or race, or religion, or
civilization) a useful one, or does it always get
involved either in self-congratulation (when
one discusses one's own) or hostility and
aggression (when one discusses the 'other')?”
(Said, 325)
Final thoughts
Are we guilty of an “Occidentalism” – a certain
way in which we view the “West”? Is our
perception positive or negative?
How do you, as people of the Orient, want to
be represented?