Orientalism triggers different national identities to be “othered.” Edward Said explains how orientalism is the mindset the West creates by having Western attitudes towards the Middle East, Asian, and North African. Westerners see the lifestyle, cultures, and people of these territories as underdeveloped and inferior and classify their own Western ideals and lifestyle as developed, rational, flexible, and superior. This becomes problematic when communities that are victimized by the orientalist culture, begin partaking in it.
A community adopting internal orientalism begins with forming a hierarchy in the already “othered” communities, and using a superiority complex to group the “othered” communities based on their culture and practices. The minority groups, then, are adopting a harmful Westernized practice that marginalizes other communities of color, simply because they are adopting Westernized ideals. Often times, this begins with internalized racism within already marginalized communities. For example, an Arab-American may see a Pakistani-American as inferior to him because of language differences. But this doesn't just stop at attacking and categorizing different communities of culture based on ethnicity, this is also an issue within the same communities of color because of adopting a Westernized view, seeing the ethnic cultures as underdeveloped, inferior, and uncivilized.
Orientalism is very evident in setting identities for oneself. However, with the increase in internalized orientalism there is a rejection of the culture and heritage communities of color come from. The problem with this is simple: if you reject your own culture and heritage and slowly take on the American sphere of influence, then you have essentially killed your past.
A community adopting internal orientalism begins with forming a hierarchy in the already “othered” communities, and using a superiority complex to group the “othered” communities based on their culture and practices. The minority groups, then, are adopting a harmful Westernized practice that marginalizes other communities of color, simply because they are adopting Westernized ideals. Often times, this begins with internalized racism within already marginalized communities. For example, an Arab-American may see a Pakistani-American as inferior to him because of language differences. But this doesn't just stop at attacking and categorizing different communities of culture based on ethnicity, this is also an issue within the same communities of color because of adopting a Westernized view, seeing the ethnic cultures as underdeveloped, inferior, and uncivilized.
Orientalism is very evident in setting identities for oneself. However, with the increase in internalized orientalism there is a rejection of the culture and heritage communities of color come from. The problem with this is simple: if you reject your own culture and heritage and slowly take on the American sphere of influence, then you have essentially killed your past.
“In a sense the limitations of Orientalism are, as I said earlier, the limitations that follow upon disregarding, essentializing, denuding the humanity of another culture, people, or geographical region.” |
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Edward Said sees orientalism as a limitation upon humanity that disregards other cultures, their people, and their region. He sees orientalism as a "creation of an ideal other." Said questions what it is about orientalism that makes the general process of cultures coming together into a formal conquest - one in which does not accept the mixing of these cultures. Orientalism became very evident in imperialism. In Egypt, for example, there was power and prestige in the authority the Europeans were exhibiting on the country - traits the Egyptians simply could not meet. This is an example of Orientalism intertwined with imperialism. Other examples of Orientalism can be seen in European paintings from the 19th and 20th century, illustrating the Arab world as an unknown, unfamiliar, mysterious, and exotic place. These images and visions of the Arab world continue on to today's media culture.