Orientalism (Penguin Modern Classics)

published	2003 by Penguin Books Ltd
first published	1979
binding	Paperback
isbn	0141187425 (isbn13: 9780141187426)
pages	432
literary awards	1978 National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee
description	The noted critic and a Palestinian now teaching at Columbia University,examines the way in which the West observes the Arabs. [close] The noted critic and a Palestinian now teaching at Columbia University,examines the way in which the West observes the Arabs. [close]
date added	12-07-06 edit book

find at: Amazon | Half.com | Barnes & Noble | Abebooks | more...

discuss this book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

friend reviews (0)

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

lists with this book

This book is not in any lists. Go add it to a list.

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1454)

John rated it:

(review of isbn 039474067X)

10/20/07

Read in October, 2007

(see "http://relaxandhavefun.com/?p=... for linked version)

I just spent a few days reading a book about how the West textually created and defined the Orient during the last two centuries. Most of the book focused on texts from England and France. American writings came into view during the 20th century. Of all the classic texts on the Middle East reviewed and commented on in Orientalism, I have read none of them. Of a...more (see "http://relaxandhavefun.com/?p=... for linked version)

I just spent a few days reading a book about how the West textually created and defined the Orient during the last two centuries. Most of the book focused on texts from England and France. American writings came into view during the 20th century. Of all the classic texts on the Middle East reviewed and commented on in Orientalism, I have read none of them. Of all the quotes, excerpts, epigraphs and passing comments in untranslated French in this book (easily 15 pages of French, spread throughout the book), I understood none of them. With those two disclaimers, let me say that I am glad I read Orientalism, and that I look forward to, one day, reading more of Edward Said.

I barely understood the book, but I think that Said was saying that Orientalists created our understanding of the Orient by defining it without regard to the reality of the people, cultures, economies, religions, societies, needs, feelings, and/or thoughts of what we now call the Middle East; but that instead we (the West) defined it as part of a counter-definition of ourselves. Or, he’s saying that the Orientalist definition of the Orient serves the West and is not an accurate, rational description of Islam or the Middle East or Arabia or ……. Since I don’t fully understand this, I’m going to cop out and include some links to smarter reviews of Said’s work at this point. Here are some quotes from Orientalism which may get you thinking in the right direction. Here’s the Wikipedia summary of Orientalism. Here’s an article by Said about Orientalism 25 Years Later. And here’s an article written a year after Said’s death, about Said, Orientalism and Post-Colonial Literary Studies. I hope these will get you started on a better understanding of Said, or at least help you figure out if you want to deal with him or not.

Regardless of my limited personal understanding of what Said was talking about, I think I grokked enough of it to be wary as I continue my readings about the Middle East. More strongly than that, I now understand why a reader needs to be on the lookout for authors and texts which define the Orient from a degenerating, disrespectful, condescending, constraining, stereotyping and/or Occident-serving viewpoint. Sounds like that would be easy, but Said’s whole point was that we all bought in to Orientalism for the last few centuries, because it had/has authority.

On a lighter note, I want to comment on how happy I am to return this book to the library at FSI. I have been carrying this book around with me at work, to read on breaks between classes with my co-workers. Many of them have commented on the cover. If you did not look at the cover closely on the original product link above, please be sure to jump to this image from the cover of the book, a detail from Jean-Leon Gerome’s The Snake Charmer. Call me a prude and take me back to books with pictures of cavalry or tourists in front of the pyramids!
...less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

nanto rated it:

(review of isbn 039474067X)

04/09/08

bookshelves: friend-s-lib, history-and-sociology, international-relations

Ada sebuah ungkapan ," ex orient lux", dari timut terbitlah kemakmuran, yang saya dapat ketika SMA dari guru sejarah saya. Ungkapan itu merupakan sebuah cara dari sudut pandang sebuah masyarakat yang melihat di timurnya merupakan banyak tempat bagi lahir pencerahan. Konon itu ungkapan dari masyarakat eropa, entah kapan tepatnya ungkapan itu muncul saya tidak tahu. Yang jelas, ungkapan itu menunjukan tempat tempat seperti Mesir dengan piramida dan kemajuan geometrinya dan Yunani dengan ...more Ada sebuah ungkapan ," ex orient lux", dari timut terbitlah kemakmuran, yang saya dapat ketika SMA dari guru sejarah saya. Ungkapan itu merupakan sebuah cara dari sudut pandang sebuah masyarakat yang melihat di timurnya merupakan banyak tempat bagi lahir pencerahan. Konon itu ungkapan dari masyarakat eropa, entah kapan tepatnya ungkapan itu muncul saya tidak tahu. Yang jelas, ungkapan itu menunjukan tempat tempat seperti Mesir dengan piramida dan kemajuan geometrinya dan Yunani dengan filsafatnya.

Ketika saya membaca Said (yang terjemahan) ada kesan lain yang diperoleh. Timur di mata Eropa oleh Said diberitakan pada awalnya adalah sebuah ancaman. Ketika itu ada konflik antara Eropa dengan Islam atau Middle East. Perang yang berlarut itu tidak luput mencitrakan timur yang menjadi simbol bagi datangnya ancaman.

Timur bagi eropa pun berganti ketika mereka mengenal India (dan tentunya juga Indonesia). Timur yang ektotis mulai dikenal oleh mereka. Salah satu yang memperkenalkan eksotisme (atau tepatnya erotisme) tarian timur, mungkin, adalah Matahari yang juga spion legendaris itu.

Eropa yang berbicara tentang timur seolah telah menjadi kebenaran yang tak terbantahkan, itulah mithos yang hendak dibongkar oleh Said. Menurutnya akan berbeda ketika timur berbicara tentang dirinya sendiri atau bahkan tentang barat.

Lepas dari polemik itu. Saya cuma mau bertanya tentang pusat produksi "timur" di universitas eropa versi Said. Entah saya yang salah, atau buku saya yang ada lewat halamannya hehehe kali aja, kok saya tidak menemukan adanya Belanda sebagai pusat produksi citra timur di eropa. Ketika Said bisa menyebut Perancis, Inggris, dab bahkan Amerika sebagai kelompok yang agak belakangan masuk dalam kancah produksi citra timur ini, kenapa dia lewat menyebut Belanda?

Bukankah Belanda juga memperkenalkan bukan saja C. Snouck Hurgronje, bahkan pengembangan klasifikasi tumbuhan telah dimulai oleh Rumphius ketika dia di Ambon sehingga ia mendapat julukan the "blind seer of Ambon". Kerja keras Rumphius yang bahkan mengalamai banyak ujian mulai dari buta, hasil kerjanya terbakar, karyanya diterbitkan atas nama seseorang yang mengaku sahabat, atau ketika karyanya butuh waktu lama untuk diterbitkan karena harus disensor oleh VOC itulah yang menyumbang pada taxonomi moderen versi C. Linneaus. Sumbangan Belanda kiranya tidak kecil terhadap citra timur, baik dalam hal budaya maupun alamnya.

Ada yang tau mungkin kenapa Said lewat dalam mengulas Belanda sebagai mazhab sehingga hanya mengupas Masignon, Gibb dan selanjutnya saja? atau saya yang terlalu bersemangat sehingga tidak sadar ada yang salah dalam pernyataan di atas?...less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Jared rated it:

(review of isbn 039474067X)

06/12/07

bookshelves: essentialsofacademia, politics

Read in January, 2004

recommends it for: anyone studying the Middle East or Asia

I have two totally contradictory feelings on this book. The first is that it is without a doubt essential reading material for anyone studying the "non-Western" world. The second is that Said's prose is virtually unreadable, and his base of evidence is severely suspect.

On the positive end, I think Said is on to something. Even now, in this supposedly globalized world, we still make a distinction between the West and the rest. What he offers is useful insight as to how the forme...more

Like this review? yes

1 comments

Marci rated it:

(review of isbn 039474067X)

02/17/08

Read in November, 2007

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Lucy rated it:

04/07/07

bookshelves: anthro-hist-religion, the-mile, the-orient

I think the problem with reading Orientalism today is that much of what he says (that was so revolutionary at the time) is so accepted now (at least among most academics). He's a brilliant writer, although he did irritate me at times (he constantly vilified anyone trying to represent anything, claiming, rightfully, that it is only possible to have a misrepresentation of anything built on one's own experiences and culture, and I did truly want to remind him that was what he was doing with...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comments

T.J. rated it:

(review of isbn 039474067X)

05/17/08

bookshelves: colonial-post-colonial, history, master-s-degree, mo-shelf, thinkin--critically

Read in November, 2005

recommends it for: pretentious grad students, critical thinkers, people easily titillated by book covers

This is totally historical porn--and not just because of the totally awkward cover which got me the most horrified looks on buses or in coffee shops when I'd read it.

Said is on to something. This theorizing of sites and locations as interpreted through the lens of British colonialism is farking brilliant, and I love it. A lot. Like more than a friend.

Said manages to take Eurocentric colonialism and turn it on its head in a fascinatingly deft and erudite manner. However, sometimes his...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

David rated it:

(review of isbn 039474067X)

03/27/08

recommends it for: those who wish to consider an anti-Western inellectual perspective

Said's is still perhaps the most commonly assigned college text on Western imperialism, and has been one of the most read (or at least assigned) of all college-level texts over the last 25+ years. Very simply put, the book advances the tenet that the "West" views Arab cultures as inferior and worthy of subjugation of varying degrees. Despite the title, the book largely deals with the relationship between Western and Arab cultures rather than Western and Eastern cultures more broa...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Erica rated it:

(review of isbn 039474067X)

05/14/07

Read in April, 2007

The following is a true story:

Me, in a San Franscisco bar reading Orientalism.

The blonde girl next to me reading over my shoulder: "So what's Orientalism?"

I explain as best I can in a couple sentences.

Her: "There are so many isms in Asia - like Buddhism and Taoism. You know what book you should read? The Tao of Poo. It's sooo good. It's, like, the perfect way to teach Americans about Eastern Religion."

Horrified, I look back to my book and take a sip of be

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

1 comments

Siria rated it:

(review of isbn 039474067X)

06/05/07

bookshelves: history, nonfiction

Read in March, 2005

This was a really difficult book to read. Both in the sense that Said really didn't believe in using one word where ten would do, and because this is also a book designed to make you think, long and hard, about your own attitudes and culture, and the way you see history. I though it could have used some serious editing, however; there were times when he seemed to be rehashing the same arguments over and over, and points where he could be clearer on the conscious/unconscious nature of the 'Wester...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Jillian rated it:

(review of isbn 039474067X)

06/27/08

bookshelves: currently-reading, historical, political

Said's discussion of how and why "the Orient" is (mistakenly) viewed as strange, exotic, and "other" by western societies is incredibly interesting, and also incredibly dense.

Two pages of this book contain more information than most college text books, and almost every paragraph needs to be read two or three times in order to marginally process that information. As a result, I often find myself putting having to put the book down after an hour of reading in which I've onl...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Evan rated it:

(review of isbn 039474067X)

08/09/07

Refreshingly inconsistent. While his analyses are acute and stimulating, I think that Said is best when he's discussing his theoretical framework and his methodology: his views on discourse and representation make for the most philosophically profound, if not the most politically engaged or engaging, passages in "Orientalism." Also, while Said argues for anti-essentialism/constructivism, he is required to employ the language of essentialism to construct his argument, and the extent to ...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Hentyle rated it:

(review of isbn 039474067X)

12/18/07

bookshelves: read-and-recommend

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in September, 2002

this is one of the most seminal books that crafted the way i think as a human being and intellectual. said does not simply prescribe or dictate politics and ideologies; instead, he paints the situation and realities of our world in order to inspire us to truly think critically and honestly.

in this book, in particular, said delves into the notion of orientalism and its presence in literature and art. in addition, he crafts a critical framework to help deconstruct power and hegemony.

all of...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Elizabeth is currently reading it

12/07/06

bookshelves: currently-reading, middleeast, nonfiction

I'm actually reading this one right now as well. I picked it up because there are a lot of images of Orientalism in the ballets from the 1910s to the 1930s, especially in the ballets from Les Ballets Russes like Scheherazade and La Bayadere. These ballets are amazing, but also slightly disturbing because they blend the cultures of Asia and the Middle East into one cohesive fairy-tale land. I want to understand how this disconnect occurred.

Oddly enough, I found this book when I went to the S...more

Like this review? yes

6 comments

Dian rated it:

(review of isbn 039474067X)

05/26/08

timur adalah yang ditimurkan bukan timur itu sendiri, begitulah kurang lebih pesan yang hendak disampaikan E. Said.

orinetalism merupakan karya klasik dalam kajian, yang kelak disebut sebagai, cultural studies. Said mendedahkan bagaimana selama ini timur, atau islam, dilihat dan dibentuk. orientalisme bukan sekadar upaya menimurkan, melainkan juga bagaimana upaya merepresentasikan dan menghadirkan timur di tengah kita. orientasisme juga bicara suatu upaya menguasai timur atau menundukkan tim...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Natalie rated it:

02/06/08

bookshelves: anthropology

Read in January, 1999

recommends it for: Everyone!

This is totally a must-read for anyone interested in so-called "Eastern" cultures, religions, etc., as it lays bare the colonial assumptions and patronizing structures at work in current Western appropriations of Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and so on (particularly important for those into New Age religiosity). There are problems with the way Said reifies East and West, but overall this is an extremely important book and one that fundamentally changed my understanding of both my own cul...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Rob rated it:

(review of isbn 039474067X)

01/13/08

Read in January, 1991

Intellectual porn for self-hating westerners, shockingly became one of the most influential texts of the last 25 years. Said's pompous, self-important writing style papers over yawning gaps in scholarship and breathtaking dishonesty. Finally, some academics appear to be getting over their institutional infatuation with Said and the critical tide is starting to turn. None too soon.

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

3 comments

Ali rated it:

(review of isbn 039474067X)

11/20/07

bookshelves: essays

شرق شناسی که قرن هاست در انستیتوهای شرق شناسی دانشکده های کشورهای غربی رواج داشته، از دیدگاه ادوارد سعید، بیشتر در جهت آشنایی به تاریخ اجتماعی و سیاسی جوامع شرقی ست که به گمان سعید و با دلایلی که ارائه کرده بیشتر در جهت محکم کردن بندهای استعمار و استثمار به کار رفته است.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comments

Kang rated it:

(review of isbn 039474067X)

11/07/07

despite vehemently disagreeing with said's overall approach and many of his particular arguments, i am more inclined to like this book now than when i first read it some 7 years ago b/c i can see it as a *reaction* against a real "Orientalist" orientation pervading the field of Middle Eastern studies. having said that, sympathy and understanding do not imply justificaton. as said himself was at pains to point out in the wake of 9-11.

Like this review? yes

5 comments

Ali rated it:

12/07/06

This is a must read for anyone who wants to gain an understanding of the study of the Middle East and the root of much of the bias and racism we see toward the region, the culture, the religion and the people. Said basically exposes and calls out many of the Middle East 'scholars' who came before him, and who had shaped the 'Occidental' view of the 'Orient'. This book reshaped and modernized the entire study of the Middle East.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Ill rated it:

(review of isbn 039474067X)

03/11/08

Read in February, 2008

recommends it for: nobody...read a recent article that explains it instead.

Man what happened this was awful. I just made it a point to finish it...short story...someone I admired a lot told me to read it...but um, totally boring, not all that coherent nor compelling. I know it's an important idea, but the whole thing felt dated. Probably would have been better to read a more contemporary article that engaged the book. Whatever...a life accomplishment type thing. Never again though, never again.

Like this review? yes

add a comment