Orientalism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A trend encompassing Western portrayals of Eastern societies that can be both artistic and academic, reflecting biases and stereotypes rather than genuine characteristics
2. A movement representing Western depictions of Eastern cultures that emphasizes artistic interpretations and scholarly analysis, often revealing preconceived notions and stereotypes
3. A cultural and intellectual framework showing how the West interprets the East, primarily through art and literature, while often perpetuating misconceptions and simplified views

Etymology: The word "orientalism" carries two histories, and the more famous one is the newer. For centuries it meant something plainly scholarly: the study of Eastern languages, cultures and religions, practised by European and later American specialists. Its modern sense, a patronizing Western way of seeing the East, was given its lasting form by the Palestinian-American critic Edward Said, whose 1978 book "Orientalism" argued that such scholarship and art often described Asia and North Africa as exotic, backward and static, a picture shaped more by European power than by the cultures themselves. The word comes from French "orientalisme", formed from "oriental", meaning "eastern", with the suffix "-ism" added. "Oriental" itself is a Latin-rooted term for the East, from "oriens", the rising sun. English later borrowed the French form, and the "-ism" ending is the same one found in words like "romanticism" and "Gallicism", which name a movement, a practice or a characteristic outlook.