Orientalism

Review by Ameena Razzaque

The short:

Orientalism is a book by Edward Said, published in 1978, that cemented “Orientalism” as a term and a critical concept about how the Western world, which includes the United States and its European allies, often perceives and portrays the Orient (Eastern World), specifically North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. 

The long:

This book has become the cornerstone of the foundational literature for a Middle Eastern Studies major. It was revolutionary in that Said argued that the U.S. and European colonial powers depicted the “Orient” as primitive, irrational, violent, fanatic, and inferior. Said also argued that Western colonialism and imperialism internalized a fictional or romanticized representation of Arab culture, using this perception to implicitly justify colonial ambitions and imperial endeavors of the U.S. and European powers.

To read or not to read:

When I first began my Middle Eastern Studies major and began discovering the social sciences like sociology and anthropology, this book was revolutionary for me. It finally gave me “academic” language to describe what I had personally felt and experienced for so long. I would HIGHLY recommend reading this book.