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Orientalism And Orientalism

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In the course Introduction to American culture we have been discussing about many subjects and I find the term orientalism particulary interesting because it can be related to other terms as representation, feminism, power and many others. There are many different scholars who have tried to define the term orientalism, but Edward Said was the most successful in defining it in his book Orientalism. ˝Orientalism is a style of thought based upon an ontological and epistemological distinction made between "the Orient" and (most of the time) "the Occident"… In short, Orientalism as a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient. (Said, 1978) ˝.
The West has been viewing the East for centuries as undeveloped, primitive, exotic and it has created a stereotype of the Eastern culture. Here is visible the relation of power because the West is seen as superior, urban and developed unlike The Orient. Said also explained the terms the other and the otherness which the West used to identify all the differences between the two cultures and the East is excluded from what is considered ˝normal˝. We see how the East is excluded and the differences between ˝us˝ and ˝them˝ are intensified. The Other is used to show how a person, a group or a nation is different from the dominant ones physically or psychologically and this term creates stereotypes of The Orient. Europe has long relation and tradition with Orientalism because it created both European and

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