Edward Said Orientalism Essay

By defining orientalism in general is the term used by the historians, geographers, literary and cultural studies scholars when the studying the Middle Eastern, South Asian, African, East Asian culture or so called Eastern Culture, language and people by exaggerating, emphasizing and their way of seeing the Arab peoples by explaining differences with the Western (occident) or European while having ideas or images of the Arab peoples or the East (orient) as inferior, uncivilised and dangerous. In brief definition orientalism is ‘the study of near and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages and peoples by Western Scholars’ (New World Encyclopaedia). Edward Said definitions of Orientalism has three basic meanings; Orientalism as an academic

His career is a lecturer in English and later was promoted as a professor. He was born in Jerusalem because his family was forces to flee by the Zionists and as a result he wrote numerous books indicating his support for Palestinians and the Arab peoples including his book on ‘The questions of Palestine’ wrote in 1979. One of the main reason for this is because of his childhood experienced and tragedy during his childhood where he described the Zionist as racist and prejudice towards Islam. Therefore he was also outspoken of Palestinians political rights. Among other his well-known and most influential book of the 20th century is Orientalism, where he portrayed the biased and stereotype of the western scholars when studying the Islamic world questioning their misinterpretation of them. This is because orientalism is emerged during the period of European enlightenment which brings about the reasons of the West superiority over the East for a reason of European colonialism to make sense of the history when the East that are seen as different and need intervention and supported the Western colonial policy. To note that, the term ‘Orientalism’ is not invented by Said rather by those who studied or specialists about the Middle