summary ofOrientalismBook by Edward W. Said

first KEY POINT

Orientalism — the Orientalist, Oriental, and Orient — with occidental trappings

Just before the joint American-British invasion of Iraq, news outlets were on the hunt for Orientalists. These individuals have garnered academic knowledge, either by scholarship or through some brief stint in the Middle East (Orient). There were a handful of Orientals (Eastern natives) living in the U.S. at the time. However, most westerners are yet to recover from the post-September-Eleven shock. Hence, the discrimination that swayed in alongside Al-Qaeda’s adventures makes it unlikely for any Arabian to go on U.S. media. For rating’s sake, they’ll most likely be denied thoroughfare at the door of famous media houses.Nonetheless, the American people would love to understand the kind of people with whom they’re dealing. In the end, they settle for the Orientalists, with their skewed, though sincere, view of the Eastern cultures. The orientalist is the scholar, the Orient is the rich eastern precincts, while Orientals are the occupants.Europe had a jolly colonial ride on the Asian continent, and in the process, gave European intellectuals a skewed view of the originality of Oriental culture. These intellectuals seem to understand what Oriental culture should be instead of what it is. These pseudo-academic views are often faulty, irrespective of their knowledge and good intentions. In his scholarship, the Orientalist implies that the Orientals (Arabs and Asians) are incapable of self-definition. To this end, the subconscious imperialist drafts an Orientalist history and culture from a distorted and birds-eye point of view.

Unfortunately, cultural discrimination is not limited to the West alone. Even the natives of the Oriental Middle East are apprehensive of having any relation with subjects that bear the Americanism tag. Arabs are often blinded by the unchecked control the west has over their countries to appreciate American society for what it is.Conclusively, the two sides of the Orientalism meniscus happen to be faulty. Judging an entire community or nation based on the nefarious activities of some Islamic extremist, die-hard white supremacist, or racist intellectual is the wrong way to go. Instead, we all need to understand individual personalities and how they interact with their local society. By inference, we need to know how they adjust and overlap with entirely new civilizations and cultures, particularly in this era of globalization.There are several things that miss us due to seeing people and the world from a myopic perspective. This summary will help you open up your worldview and understand the major ideologies that shape the modern world.