Orientalism is a term coined by Edward Said in his 1978 book Orientalism. It refers to the way that the West has represented the East, or the Orient, in a way that is often negative, exotic, and essentialized. Said argues that Orientalism is a form of Western power. It is a way of controlling the East by constructing an image of it that is inferior to the West. This image is often based on stereotypes and prejudices, and it serves to justify Western domination of the East.
Said identifies three main aspects of Orientalism:
The Orient as a place of difference: The Orient is often seen as a place that is different from the West, both in terms of its culture and its people. This difference is often seen as exotic and mysterious, but it can also be seen as threatening.
The Orient as a place of backwardness: The Orient is often seen as a place that is backward and stagnant, compared to the progressive and enlightened West. This view is often used to justify Western intervention in the East.
The Orient as a place of the Other: The Orient is often seen as a place that is the opposite of the West, and this difference is often used to construct a sense of Western superiority.
Said's work on Orientalism has been influential in postcolonial studies. It has helped us to understand how the West has constructed a negative image of the East, and how this image has been used to justify Western domination.
Here are some examples of Orientalism:
The depiction of the East as a place of mystery and exoticism in Western literature and film.
The use of stereotypes about the East in Western news media.
The use of Orientalist imagery in Western advertising.
The Western military interventions in the Middle East.
Edward Said's theory of Orientalism is still relevant today because it helps us to understand how Western perceptions of the Middle East and North Africa have been shaped by colonial and imperial power relations. Said argued that Orientalism is a discourse that constructs the Middle East and North Africa as a monolithic and unchanging "other" that is inferior to the West. This discourse has been used to perpetuate stereotypes about Muslims and Arabs. While Said's theory of Orientalism was developed in the context of the Middle East and North Africa, it can also be applied to other regions of the world that have been colonized or imperialized by the West. For example, the way that the West often portrays Africa as a continent of poverty and disease is also a reflection of Orientalist discourse. Orientalism is a useful framework for those who are broadly interested in how international cultures are represented in the West.
Some themes that could be explored using Orientalism are:
How has graphic design and visual communication contributed to cultural stereotypes in the West? In what contexts has this happened?
How can graphic design be used to support multi-cultural societies and communities?
How can graphic design be used to empower the voices of those who are often known only in terms of reductive stereotypes?
How can graphic design be used to illustrate the diversity and richness of other cultures within specific contexts?