Occidentalists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals who study or promote Western culture and ideologies, often contrasting them with Eastern or non-Western perspectives
2. Scholars or advocates focusing on the historical, philosophical, and cultural aspects of Western civilization while examining its impact on the world
3. Those who consistently analyze and interpret the values and practices of the West, sometimes in relation to globalization or cultural exchange

Etymology: The name for this kind of scholar is built as a mirror image of "orientalist." "Occident" comes from Latin "occidens," the present participle of "occidere," "to fall" or "to set," so the West is literally the place where the sun goes down, just as "orient" is the place where it rises. The "-ist" ending marks a person who practices or studies something, so the noun denotes someone who studies the West as a subject. Its meaning has also been shaped by its partner term. "Occidentalism" was popularized by Ian Buruma and Avishai Margalit's book of that name, which examined how critics of Western society, often from within other cultures, portrayed the West as a single, hostile whole. That sense, of analysis that reverses the gaze, is what the word carries today.