Name:
Brijal Oza
Course:
M.A. English (Sem-3)
Paper
no.: 11, the Postcolonial Literature
Topic:
What is Orientalism? Connect with Media representation.
Roll
no.: 23
Year:
2015 – 2017
Submitted
to: S.B. Gardi, Department of English
M.K. Bhavnagar
University
Before
discussing Orientalism and with its related topics, it is necessary to know
about Edward Said. So let’s have a look on Edward Said in detail.
About Author:
Edward Said is one of the
most shining stars of the postcolonial literature. He was a Palestinian
American literary theorist and public intellectual who had found the difficult
theory and field of post colonialism. Edward Said is known mainly for his
contribution to postcolonial studies on the topic of orientalism – this being a
consideration of the many different stereotypes that are present in the
representation and understanding of the many Asian communities.
Edward Said has multiple
critics. Edward’s text has value, in so far as it examines the relationship
between manifest orientalism and its latent, originating ideas about the
orient, rather than trying to consolidate the based perception of Orientalism
with historical and biological facts. However he notes that it contains a
fundamental contradiction in its basic structure.
What is Orientalism?
Orientalism
is a way of seeing that imagines, emphasizes exaggerates and distorts
differences of Arab people and culture as compared to that of Europe and the
U.S. It often involves seeing Arab culture as exotic, backward, uncivilized and
at times dangerous.
According to Edward Said:
Orientalism
is the acceptance in the west of the basic distinction between east and west as
the starting point elaborate theories, epics, novels, social descriptions and
political accounts concerning the orient, its people, customs, mind and so on.
Said’s
orientalism can be critical tool to examine the validity of all the literature
on the east written by the Westerners. Influenced by the imperialism and
colonialism of the 19th century, western people became interested in
the natives and the cultures of western colonies. People who supported the
Hegelian progressive view of history believed that history is not meaningless
chance, but a rational process and transition from the ancient oriental world
through classical Greece and roman and the middle ages to the modern German
world. These people are supporters of a western centered liner theory of
history and culture based on development dialectic. This theory led to the
western centered view of non-western cultures as inferior to western cultures.
This view was to be criticized Edward Said in his work on Orientalism in the
late 20th century.
According
to Edward Said, “Orientalism can be discussed and analyzed as the corporate
institution for dealing with the orient- dealing with it by making statements
about it, authorizing views of it, describing it, by teaching it, settling it,
ruling over it: in short, orientalism as a western style for dominating,
restructuring and having authority over the orient.”
It is the way of representing the orient, a
discourse that reconstitutes the east using a number of preconception and
assumptions, and this discourse helps to reinforce the position of the west as
the site of power. Orientalism is from point of view a discourse in Foucault’s
sense. It is wide ranging network of texts, images. All of which serve to
designate eastern other as a sort of surrogate and even underground self.
Said’s definition of Orientalism relies on the argument that the ideas about
the orient propagated by Orientalist have concrete and empirical effects.
Orientalism is not an airy European fantasy about an Orient, but a created body
of theory and practice in which, for many generations there has been a
considerable material investment. Orientalist views of the Orient acquire
hegemony and serve to prop up myth of European superiority that is largely
accepted by the society in which they are propagated.
The
main body of Said’s work sifts through multitudes of example of Oriental
discourse in political and historical texts, literature and media. Western people produce the knowledge about
the orient through literature, paintings and media. They rather eroticized
orient in west which is problematic. Even without experience they spread
misconception about orient. The way orient middle east is represented is far
away from reality. Religion Islam is also represented in negative way as if the
chief aim of Islam is to spread terrorism. Arab is stereotyped as gullible as
well as cunning, lethargic and dishonest. If Orientalism is conceived as a
drive for knowledge of the other, that knowledge is structured by a set of
images that serve and classify its object. Islam is a focal point for the
orientalist, and it comes to symbolize barbarism, fanaticism and terrorism. The
Orientalism seizes on preconception such as there and uses them to define the
entire religion and culture that accompanist.
In
the final section of Orientalism, Said moves away from literary criticism to
both academe and the media. Orientalism is now conceived not just as a
discourse prevalent at the particular historical moment of colonial expansion,
but as a tradition and doctrine affirming the superiority of west.
Here is the example of movie “Slumdog
Millionaire” which is represented stereotyping India.
Slumdog
Millionaire is a movie mixed of Indian and foreign talent and English and Hindi
dialogue has sparked a debate here over whether it’s an Indian or foreign film.
It was based on novel by Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup, directed by Briton Boyle
by British screenwriter Simon Beaufoy and acted by Indian and foreigners of
Indian descent. The story of an impoverished street child in Mumbai, which has
won 10 Oscar nods, is a stereotypical western portrayal that ignores the wealth
and progress of India. The best pictures set in Mumbai, are based on Indian
novel and features many Indian actors. The sensibility is anything but Indian,
some critics argue. They attribute the film’s sweeping international success in
large part to its timing and themes that touch a chord with Western audience.
The film focused too much on prostitution, crime and organized. Begging
rackets- there is still a fascination with seeing how we are perceived by
westerners. Some locals have questioned its selective portrait of Mumbai, which
ignores middle class as well as other progress. Indians are groaning over what
they see as yet another stereotypical foreign depiction of their nation,
corruption and impoverished. These views suggested us that, westerners are
still looking towards India, in traditional way, as it was during time of
colonization. Image of India is still of poverty and even India as a land of
snake charmers. The same happens in the movie that they choose only slums of
Mumbai. So, from Orientalist point of view – we can conclude that this movie is
a stereotypical presentation of India.
Here
is another movie which is represented the Orientalism and Occidentalism. In the
movie “True Lies”, the main character portrayed as a person who is ruthless
killer, someone who has no morals or concern for human life and as a leader
that is not really organized or smart. This movie is one of the many movies
that show Arab people in a horrible light. This movie feeds the fear that most
Americans have about the Arab world. Throughout this movie “True Lies”, there
were scenes and depictions of Arabs that would not please anyone of that
background. The review talked about two specific scenes and one general them.
“True Lies” is a film that did very well in the box office and, also did very
well in reinforcing the existing stereotypes that were put in place by the many
movies before it.
No comments:
Post a Comment