Orientalism
From RationalWiki
Orientalism is the concept that the Orient (Asia, including the Middle East) is inherently different from the so-called Western world or Occident, and moreover inferior to it. It can also mean a somewhat related sort of art or literature. In the first sense, it is a sort of racism that makes use of assumptions, exaggerations, and fabrications in order to portray non-Western cultures as uncivilized, mysterious, and dangerous. In the second, it is art or literature that espouses such tendencies. Both are tied to politically expedient justifications formerly given for colonizing the non-European world.
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Orientalism by Edward W. Said. Vintage, ISBN 039474067X