Orientalism: A Reader

by Alexander Lyon Macfie

A selection of key readings that provide an introduction to the intense 20th century debates around Orientalism

In the period of decolonization that followed World War II, a number of scholars, mainly Middle Eastern, launched a sustained assault on Orientalism the theory and practice of representing the "East" in Western thought accusing its practitioners of misrepresentation, prejudice and bias. An intense debate ensued, involving not only Orientalists but historians, sociologists, anthropologists, literary critics, scholars of cultural studies and gender studies as well as the news media.

A Reader provides students, scholars and general readers alike with a selection of key readings from this debate, covering a range of areas including myth, imperialism, the cultural perspective, Marxist interpretation and feminist approaches. The aim is to introduce the origins and character of the debate on Orientalism, providing a useful overview of a controversial and problematic concept from a multidisciplinary perspective. Coverage begins with late 19th-century material from thinkers such as Hegel and Marx, and moves through extracts from Nietzsche, Gramsci and Foucault to contemporary work from, Brian Turner, John Mackenzie and Edward Said. As well as a general introduction, each section and extract is introduced and there is a detailed guide to further reading.

Contributors : Anouar Abdel-Malek, Aijaz Ahmad, Sadik Jalal al-'Azm, Fred Dallmayr, Michel Foucault, Francesco Gabrieli, Antonio Gramsci, G.W.F Hegel, Ronald Inden, Richard King, David Kopf, Bernard Lewis, Donald P. Little, L. Lowe, John MacKenzie, Pierre Martino, Karl Marx, Billie Melman, James Mill, B.J. Moore-Gilbert, Friedrich Nietzsche, Sheldon Pollock, Michael Richardson, Edward Said, Stuart Schaar, Raymond Schwab, A.L. Tibawi, Bryan S. Turner and Ernest J. Wilson III.

Genres: History, Politics

400 pages, Paperback

First published December 22, 2000

Reviews

[Golriz Nafisi · Rating 4 out of 5]

برای دومین بار بود که کتاب را می خواندم، دفعه ی اول از سر کنجکاوی و این بار به دلیل سوالاتی که داشتم. البته جوابی نگرفتم اما رفرنس های زیاد
ومتنوعی دارد و از هردو گروه از نویسندگان موافق ومخالف با نظریه ی شرق شناسی ادوارد سعید نام می برد و در حد یکی دو جمله تا یکی دو صفحه از آنها می نویسد
سعی بر این است که بحث بین این دو گروه را بدون نظر شخصی بیان کند و همین موضوع باعث شده که بحث جدیدی در کتاب مطرح نشود و صدای نویسنده و دیدگاهش مشخص نباشد که البته به نظرم می شد رد موافق بودن با ادوارد سعید را به صورت نامحسوسی پیدا کرد.
کتاب در واقع تاریخ شرق شناسی نیست بلکه شرح اتفاقی است که بعد از نوشته شدن کتاب شرق شناسی ادوارد سعید در جهان مطالعات خاور نزدیک و دور می افتد.تنها موضوعی که در این کتاب و سایر کتاب های مربوط به شرق شناسی کمی سوال برانگیز است حذف ایران است.اول تصورم بر این بود که شاید ایران را هم بخشی از جهان عرب به شمار می آورند ولی ظاهرا اینطور نیست.ممکن است در حد دو سه بار از ایران نام برده شود یا به انقلاب ایران اشاره کنند ولی به طور کلی ایران و افراد مرتبط با آن نادیده گرفته شده اند

[H]

النسخة الإلكترونية سيئة ومتعبة للغاية

[Fatma Kızıl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Said sonrası Orientalism üzerine lehte ve aleyhte yazılmış argümanları toplu halde değerlendiren bir kitap.

[laila* · Rating 2 out of 5]

An earnest attempt at actual scholarly research but he’s kinda refusing to reflect on his own biases

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had read this book four or five years ago when I first started my current job.

A very clear and even handed introduction to a hugely controversial topic. The author examines both the virtues and flaws of Edward Said's seminal work as well as the wider issues of scholarship on the Middle East and India etc.

This is very much a textbook and I couldn't recommend it unless you already have an existing interest in the topic. I had a print on demand copy which rather needlessly sacrificed the wonderful cover picture for a dull, corporate, generic design.

[Nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an OK book to give general readers an overview of/introduction to Orientalism. I found it disappointing as it was full of short excerpts which were represented as "chapters" and quite often the collated contributions were repetitive. If Orientalism is of genuine interest to anyone though, I would recommend reading Said's Orientalism for more thorough coverage - which I was reading at the same time...