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Dr. Edward Said and “ Orientalism ”: The Birth of Post-Colonial Literary Theory

Dr. Edward Said and “ Orientalism ”: The Birth of Post-Colonial Literary Theory. Mr. Parizo IB – English A. What is Literary Theory?. The systematic study of the nature and methods used to analyze literature.

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Dr. Edward Said and “ Orientalism ”: The Birth of Post-Colonial Literary Theory

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  1. Dr. Edward Said and “Orientalism”: The Birth of Post-Colonial Literary Theory Mr. Parizo IB – English A

  2. What is Literary Theory? • The systematic study of the nature and methods used to analyze literature. • Literary Theories acts as “lenses” in which we read, analyze, and view the content of literature. Marxism, Feminism, Post-Colonialism, New Formalism, New Historicism, Deconstructionalism, Freudianism… and on and on and on.

  3. Said from “Orientalism” “The man who only finds his homeland sweet is a beginner; he to whom every foreign soil is as familiar as his native one is strong; but he is perfect compared to whom who sees the entire world as a foreign land” (Said 259). Said, Edward. Orientalism. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. 1978. Dissertation

  4. Who is Edward Said? • Palestinian in birthplace and ethnicity (while a colony of England) • Raised Protestant in a dominant Muslim Society • Attended British schools as a child in Palestine • Attended high school and college in the US

  5. “Orientalism” • Said wrote the 1978 published dissertation titled “Orientalism” • The essay ushered in a new form of literary criticism called “Post-Colonialism”

  6. Arguments in “Orientalism” • A dominant society’s view of supposed “weaker” societiesisexploitive, purposeful, and meant to encourage ethnocentrism. • The dominant society’s view of the world is distorted through this form of exploitive ethnocentrism.

  7. Gall - Peters Projection Map (1973)

  8. “Because world maps have a powerful and lasting effect on people's impressions of the shapes and sizes of lands and seas, their arrangement, and the nature of the coordinate system… We strongly urge book and map publishers, the media and government agencies to cease using rectangular world maps for general purposes or artistic displays. Such maps promote serious, erroneous conceptions by severely distorting large sections of the world both in physical shape and world relevance… by representing most distances and direct routes incorrectly... supports a falseness of cultural hierarchy” (Peters 145-152). Peters, Arno (1983). Die NeueKartographie/The New Cartography (in German and English). Klagenfurt, Austria: Carinthia University; New York: Friendship Press.

  9. “Orientalism’s” Second Argument • Conclusions are made by dominant societies of weaker ones without proper research or experience, but is based on naive first hand accounts – leads to bigotry and misunderstandings.

  10. “Orientalism’s” Final Argument • A dominant society justifies its own evils through a process called “Othering”

  11. Said’s “Others” • “Othering” is the natural instinct to view all those different from the viewer as a danger to the viewer’s way of life.

  12. Focus of “Orientalism” • Although the essay focused on Western depiction of Middle Eastern culture as its basis of evidence, the argument was presented as a universal concept of all societies.

  13. “Orientalism” Today • Post-Colonialism has become the center-point of literary studies in colleges and universities around the world. • The study has also ushered in new terminology in the field: • Mimicry • Othering • Hybridization

  14. Mimicry • When a controlled culture copies the ideals and beliefs of an over-dominating culture and denies their own.

  15. Hybridity • When one culture becomes a blend of its own ideals and the ideals of the dominating culture.

  16. “Othering”: Creating An Enemy • Said argues that all dominating cultures must create an enemy to “ok” the evils or flaws of that culture – the ‘othering’ process is necessary for the culture to continue its self-viewed level of dominance.

  17. Othering in Action: Oklahoma City Bombing • On April 19th, 1995, a bomb blew up in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people and injuring 680.

  18. First Floor Preschool/Daycare • A portion of the building collapsed onto a first floor daycare center, killing all 19 children – the oldest child being four years old.

  19. American Reaction: A New Enemy • Similar to Sept. 11th, 2001, Americans rallied against this new, and very real, threat to our way of life.

  20. Timothy McVeigh • Days later, Timothy McVeigh, a white supremacist, Nazi sympathizer, and anti-government radical was arrested for the bombing. The nation was shocked to learn that he was an American citizen.

  21. Orientalism & Othering… • Before Timothy McVeigh was caught, early press reports depict Said’s concepts of “Orientalism” and “Othering”.

  22. Film: • Watch the short film on “Orientalism” • Group yourselves back into your Propaganda Project groups • Discuss the concepts of “Orientalism” and “Othering” in terms of strengths and weaknesses. Identify examples of mimicry, hybridization, and othering in texts, and the today’s world. • Be prepared to discuss, with examples from all texts, your group’s opinions – whether you are in agreement or not.

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