On Orientalism by Edward Said - Movie Review Example

On Orientalism: by Edward Said Born in Jerusalem, and moved to live in the United s in the 1950s, Edward Said is considered one of the talented thinkers and intellectuals in the Middle East. The fact that he has got his education from Britain and the United States did not take him far from the concerns and interest of his original lands. So, when he settled in New York, he produced a number of literary works and writings that deeply discuss and analyze the main problems leading to the tension in the Palestinian land. Also, in many of his writings, Said wanted to tighten the gap between the East and the West. In “Orientalism,” Edward Said, wanted to explain to the western world, especially the United States, some of the cultural and ideological differences between the “orient,” by which he means the Middle East, and the United States. Said’s “Orientalism” is divided into six sections, and in each section, he tackles one of the significant aspects of the relationship between the Middle East, representing the East, and the United States, representing the West. The five sections of “Orientalism” are designed under the titles: “The Repertory of orientalism,” “Orietalism and Empire,” “American orientalism,” “Orientalism Today : The Demonization of lslam in the News and Popular Culture,” “Oklahoma city Bombing,” and “Orientalism and Palestinian Question.” The dominating theme in the six sections is the notion that Orientalism constitutes a package of thoughts , beliefs, cultures, and traditions that are unique to the orient, and have to be adequately absorbed and understood by the East. According to Said, Orientalism does not connote a political or a social aspect alone. Rather, to understand the concept of Orientalism according to Said, one has to develop deep understanding of many aspects that are unique to the orient. This idea is clearly expressed by Said when he introduces Orientalism as “a distribution of geopolitical awareness into aesthetic scholarly, economic, sociological, historical, and philological texts.” (Chapter 4) So, by using this set of “aspects,” Said approaches Orientalism as “a whole series of ‘interests’,” not a single entity. Among the various aspects of Orientalism, the cultural aspect remains the most distinguished and unique to the orient. The diversity of the cultures of the orient is stressed by Said, who believes that “cultural strength is not something we can discuss very easily.” Said declared that New York "plays an important role in the kind of criticism and interpretation which I have done" (Barsamian). However, his love and longing for Palestine his original land is unquestionable. Said went to New York in 1963 when he accepted a position at Columbia, where he held the position of University Professor. Born in Jerusalem and educated at schools there and in Cairo, Said had a diversity of cultures and experiences, which benefited him as a professional and talented writer. As pointed out by many critics,“his creative intellectual talents and abilities are infused with passion and a sense of outrage at the hypocrisies, contradictions, and indignities of what passes for political commentary, particularly when it comes to the Middle East” (Barsamian). That’s why he was considered as the most prominent spokesperson for the Palestinian cause in the United States. He is considered a very prolific author, as he most recently published Reflections on Exile and Power, Politics, and Culture. The richness and mastership of Said lies in the fact that “much of his political writing is not only excavating buried memories and affirming the Palestinian presence but also pointing toward a future where peace is possible” (Barsamian). In “Orientalism,” Said argues that if the west, including the United States, developed a deep understanding of the cultures, traditions, and ideologies of the Middle East, including the Arabs, the relationship between them will be closer and more oriented towards cooperation for the benefits of both the East and the West. In the context of trying to analyze some of the differences between the ideologies and cultures of the East and the West, Said points to the fact that Britain and France have the most accurate understanding of the Eastern culture and tradition due to their involvement in the region for long periods of time, during colonization. So, it seems that “Orientalism” is a call from Said to the United States of America to develop more understanding and delve deeply in the ideologies and traditions of the Middle East if it wants to develop its relationship with the orient. Said also is suggesting that the US may learn from the experience of France and Britain in the region to be aware of the political and social differences between the East and the West. In trying to analyze “Orientalism,” one can relate this artistic work to the concept of cultural relativism. Basically, cultural relativism is defined as "the view that all beliefs are equally valid and that truth itself is relative, depending on the situation, environment, and individual" (“Cultural Relativism: Truth Is Relative”). In that sense, a nations cultural identity is formed by all the religious, ethical, aesthetic, and political beliefs of the people of that nation. In other words, the notion of cultural relativism holds that there are no absolute ethical, religious, or political concepts. Rather, these concepts are relative, varying from one society to another. For example, while one nation values individualism highly, another nation holds high value of the collective society. Thus, the ethical, moral, and religious values are completely relative to the individual within the cultural identity of a society. Therefore, according to the concept of cultural relativism, "it is never true to say simply that a certain kind of behavior is right or wrong; rather, it can only ever be true that a certain kind a behavior is right or wrong relative to a specified society" (“Cultural Relativism”). Consequently, it can be said that principles, such as individualism, feminism, equality, and democracy hold relative values to various societies around the world, and they should not be conceived as absolute values, in which all societies should hold equal beliefs. Any development efforts that come from outside a certain society should abide by the cultures and traditions of that society in order to achieve the desired success (Glazer). The efforts of the United States, for example, to introduce new concepts such as gender equality and democracy to the Middle East should be aware that the cultural identity of this region is unique and that development efforts should be adapted to this culture. This idea is advocated Edward Said, who believes that in order for the West to develop a deep understanding of the ideologies, cultures, and traditions of the Arab World, the West should not impose its values and cultures on the East (Said). As a result, Said suggests that the US may learn from the experience of France and Britain in the region to be aware of the cultural differences between the East and the West, in the process of introducing new development concepts to the Middle Eastern region. As a result, Said introduces the notion of "Orientalism," which constitutes a package of thoughts, beliefs, cultures, and traditions that are unique to the orient. Nevertheless, the emphasis on the role of culture in a societys perception of development does not mean that the society and government should stay passive towards the new values and principles that are introduced to the society. That is, if a government authority expects some benefit from modern external values that seem to contradict the cultural tradition of the society, it should work hard to prepare the society for the smooth introduction of these values and concepts. In this context, the role of media in shaping a nations perception of new concepts and values is undeniable. Therefore, it may be claimed that the role of culture and tradition in the acceleration of development and advancement processes in nations is undeniable. As Harrison points out, "there is a gap in all societies between the stated ethical system and the extent to which that system is honored in practice." If we take Egypt as an example, one can clearly realize that the development efforts administered by the various regimes during the second half of the twentieth century show that the culture of the Egyptian society affects to a great extent the way they accept or reject the paths to modernity (Amin). Finally, it should be stated that media can be an important motivator in any society to culturally prepare any society to accept the modern notions, which are introduced to it. In conclusion, Orientalism is a thoughtful analysis of the ideal relationship that should exist between the East and the West, especially the United States. From this literary work, Said’s deep understanding and awareness of both the Eastern and American cultures can be realized. So, he uses this understanding of both cultures and ideologies in order to give his theoretical framework of the ideal relationship between the East and the West. Works Cited Amin, Gala. "Westernization." Whatever Happened to the Egyptians. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2000, 45-54. Barsamian, David. “Edward W. Said.” 2001. “Cultural Relativism.” Philosophy of Religion. 25 Oct. 2004. “Cultural Relativism: Truth Is Relative.” 25 Oct. 2004. Glazer, Mark. "Cultural Relativism." 16 Dec. 1994. McAllen, Texas. Harrison, Lawrence E. "What Makes Development Happen." Underdevelopment is a States of Mind. Lanham, MD: Center for International Affairs, Harvard University and University Press of America, 1985, 1-17. Said, Edward. "Orientalism." Read More