Syrian cultural historian, born in damascus, educated at the american university of beirut and jesus college, cambridge. In imperial fictions, rana kabbani unravels the erotic fantasies and myths that the west has developed about the east over the ages. Orientalism and the jews brandeis 2005 klein, christina. European scientific journal june 2014 special edition vol.
Indeed, orientalist images of the future will not be stylised depictions of milkywhite odalisques, held captive by brown, turbaned villains. I will start with a definition of the term itself with regard to the scholarly tradition in the west of studying asian cultures, languages and societies. Orientalism, while also extending its breadth to all that is not considered west the middle east, india, russia, etc. These depictions are usually done by writers, designers. Orientalism is a term that is used by art historians, literary and cultural studies scholars for the imitation or depiction of aspects in middle eastern, south asian, african and east asian cultures eastern cultures. The manuscript tradition of the arabian nights, by heinz grotzfeld, 17 the arabian nights in film adaptations, by robert irwin, 22 the arabian nights as an orientalist text, by rana kabbani, 25 illustrations to the arabian nights, by kazue kobayashi, 29 the arabian nights and the popular epics, by remke kruk, 34. Orientalism and india 3 the hegemonic discourse of orientalism orientalism, for said, is a kind of western projection onto and will to govern over. According to said, orientalism is inextricably tied to the imperialist societies who produced it. She talks about the horrors of living in a police state in this case a baath party controlled syria, the good people. In particular, orientalist painting, depicting more specifically the middle east, was one of the. The first studies inspired by orientalism augmented saids work with a closer focus on gender. Early representations of arabs and muslims in hollywood productions were largely drawn from the literary works of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In particular, orientalist painting, depicting more specifically the middle east, was one of the many. One might point to works of the mid1980s like rana kabbanis europes myths of orient that examined literature and malek alloulas the colonial harem that turned back the gaze of french photographic postcards of algerian women.
These depictions are usually done by writers, designers and artists from the west. She attended georgetown university, the american university of beirut and jesus college, cambridge. Rana kabbani and ali behdad have written on the predisposition of an establishment renegade like wilfrid scawen blunttoward eastern culture and political freedom. Rana kabbani is a poet and translator of modern arabic poetry. They point to a four page article by damascene writer rana kabbani about the arab spring. Orientalism is more of an indicator of the power the europeans holds over the orient. Jan 29, 2020 orientalism is a 1978 book by edward w. Orientalism, for said, is a kind of western projection onto and will to govern over the orient. With various shades of prurience and sophistication, similar sentiments echo throughout the writings of novelists, poets, journalists, travel writers, sociologists and ethnographers whose pursuit of eros has brought them, in rana kabbanis phrase, to the orient on the flyingcarpet of orientalism passionate nomad, p. Orientalism can be discussed and analyzed as the corporate institution for dealing with the orientdealing with it by making statements about it, authorizing views of it, describing it, by teaching it settling it, ruling over it.
One might point to works of the mid1980s like rana kabbani s europes myths of orient that examined literature and malek alloulas the colonial harem that turned back the gaze of french photographic postcards of algerian women. Travel writing revisiting promuslim british orientalists. For the discipline that studies the orient, see oriental studies. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. In orientalist travelogues and paintings, the british and the french conceived. Europes myths of the orient 1994 and letter to christendom 1989, she has also edited and translated works in arabic and english. May 18, 2011 they point to a four page article by damascene writer rana kabbani about the arab spring. Devised during the crusades to combat islam, then confirmed by centuries of western writers and artists, these myths fostered racial and sexual stereotypes that became vital to imperial designs. Rana kabbani is a poet and translator of modern arabic poetry, born in damascus in 1958 and brought up in new york city and djakarta. After working as an art critic in paris and as a publishers editor in london, she became a fulltime writer in 1986. Said argued that orientalism encouraged a peculiarly male conception of the world because the academic discipline of orientalism was an exclusively male province, and the focus of such studies was the oriental male said, orientalism 207.
Orientalism in the victorian era has origins in three aspects of 18thcentury european and british culture. Malek alloulas, the colonial harem, minneapolis 1986, and rana kabbani, europes myth of the orient, bloomington 1986. Feminist orientalism and orientalist marxism mai ghoussoubs feminismor the eternal masculinein the arab world. File history click on a datetime to view the file as it appeared at that time. I engage with edward saids orientalism and various perspectives within the othering paradigm to. I engage with edward saids orientalism and various perspectives within the. This is because they have no history or intellectual freedom from their colonial masters. A thesis submitted for the degree of phd at the university. Orientalism is a term that is used by art historians, literary and cultural studies scholars for the imitation or depiction of aspects in middle eastern, south asian, and east asian cultures eastern world.
The veil like all forms of clothing is a signifier. Films like the sheik george melford, 1921 and the son of the sheik george fitzmaurice, 1926 present the arab as. He adopted the trope made famous a few decades earlier by montesquieu, and conceived of an easterner writing home his observations of europe. Includes a new introduction about modernday perceptions of the islamic world. She was born in damascus in 1958 and brought up in new york city and. Orientalism i i a style of thought based upon an ontological and epistemological. After syrias year of revolution, the end of assad is in sight. Orientalism ond the eastern universities need of selfsufficiency critical analysis of orientalism nood tor constructive work literary endoevours made in muslim countries pago 1 6 9 9 10 11 ib. She talks about the horrors of living in a police state in this case a baath party controlled syria, the good people that stand up to a regime at great personal cost and the rejection of fear that is moving through the arab world unifying people and. Campbell 2011, albert gerard 1977, arthur little 2000 and rana kabbani 1986. In particular, orientalist painting, depicting more specifically the middle east, 1 was one of the many specialisms of 19thcentury academic art, and the literature of western. They, in turn, were inspired by depictions found in elizabethan manuscripts, which took their cue from the middle ages.
Said notes that there has been a fair amount of interchange over the last few centuries over these two theoretical fields of coming to terms with the orient. The harem fantasy in nineteenthcentury orientalist paintings. In his introduction to the term orientalism, edward said. Rana kabbani unravels western fantasies and myths about the east which were woven over the ages. In art history, literature and cultural studies, orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects in the eastern world. In 1762, oliver goldsmith wrote a brilliant parody of the epistolary genre and orientalism too which he entitled citizen of the world. Minneapolis 1986, and rana kabbani, europes myth of the orient, bloomington 1986. Thus a very large mass of writers, among whom are poets, novelists, philosophers. These depictions are usually done by writers, designers, and artists from the west. As rana kabbani states, it is a common place of orientalism that the west knows more about the east than the east knows about itself. Floating between cocktail hour glamour and alexa chungs left breast on the cover of junes uk vogue are the words road to revolution one womans journey. Said then proposes a third definition of orientalism, using an analysis. I am indebted to professor saids definition of orientalism as a method of cataloguing the orient that was inextricably linked to the imperialistic worldview. Wws 594h culture and conflict in the middle east spring semester 2004, session ii lisa wynn examines conflicts in the modern middle east from an anthropological perspective, including colonialism and nationalism, political islam, terrorism, civil society, islamic social movements, and the politics of gender.
Orientalists, he claims, have plotted their narratives about the history, character, and destiny of the orient for centuries but in the nineteenth and twentieth. Rana kabbani is a syrian writer and broadcaster who lives in london. Xurshv0\wkvri orient 1994, an account of western travel writing in the near and mi ddle east, rana kabbani, a. But rana kabbani believes that french orientalist painting, as exemplified by the works of gerome, may appear more sensual, gaudy, gory and sexually explicit than its british counterpart, but this is a difference of style not substance. Orientalism past and present an introduction to a postcolonial critique the aim of this article is to introduce the term orientalism, its meaning, its history and most important its future. Orientalism is an academic term, used in art history, literary studies, geography, and cultural studies, which is and describes a critical approach to representations of the orient. In the question of orientalism, lewis, an academic then based at princeton university. Said, in which the author discusses orientalism, defined as the wests patronizing representations of the eastthe societies and peoples who inhabit the places of asia, north africa, and the middle east.
May 30, 2008 rana kabbani unravels western fantasies and myths about the east which were woven over the ages. University of california press, 2003 isbn 0520224698. To said, oriental women were of interest insofar as they shed light on western male. They had to formulate the middle east and asia to allow this study to take place. Films like the sheik george melford, 1921 and the son of the sheik george fitzmaurice, 1926. Orientalism has engendered feminist scholarship and debate in middle east studies. In particular, orientalist painting, depicting more specifically the middle east, was one of the many specialisms of 19thcentury academic art, and the literature of western countries. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. With this in mind and in line with edward saids theory of orientalism, the paper will further explore orientalist and imperialist thoughts in shakespeares othello, highlight the clash between eastern and western cultures.
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