Orientalism

Outline

Orientalism (1978) is one of the most influential books of the twentieth century. Edward W. Said shows how Western scholars, writers, and politicians created a distorted image of the Arab and Islamic world, presenting it as mysterious, backward, and in need of Western control. He argues that this way of seeing supported colonial power, and his work changed how the world studies culture, history, and the Middle East.

• Western scholars, writers, and politicians built a distorted image of the Arab and Islamic world over time.
• That image portrayed the East as mysterious, backward, and in need of Western control.
• Said argues that this way of seeing supported colonial power rather than neutral understanding.
• Knowledge about other cultures can become an instrument of political and cultural power.
• The book, published in 1978, changed how the world studies culture, history, and the Middle East.

Edward W. Said (1935–2003) was a Palestinian-American literary scholar, critic, and public intellectual who taught at Columbia University for four decades. He was one of the founders of postcolonial studies and a prominent voice for Palestinian rights. His books include Orientalism, Culture and Imperialism, and his memoir Out of Place.