Orientalism/orientalist discourse

1.Earlier Orientalism gained recognition in the nineteenth century when

scholars from the West (mainly France and England) wrote about and
attempted to interpret aspects of Asian and Arab cultures against a
backdrop of colonialism. Nineteenth century western constructions of The
Orient often depicted an exotic, irrational, passive and backward alien
culture in opposition to a normalized, rational, active and civilized westerner. At
other times, oriental men were constructed as hyper-sexual and
thus threatening to white women.
2.Contemporary Orientalism is a critical POST-COLONIAL THEORY that tries to
deconstruct stereotypical depictions of Asian and Arab cultures and of
the former colonized subjects in general. Perhaps the most well-known
Oriental critique is that which is provided by Edward Said (1979) whose
rejection of the earlier Orientalism is also a rejection of the biological
generalization, cultural and religious prejudices that earlier Orientalism
entailed.