Orientalism and

Occidentalism

Important Concepts
The Orient- is derived from the Latin word oriens (East, or
literally rising). It is a traditional designation for anything
considered east of Europe; traditionally, it referred to Islamic and
Judaic societies often present in Arabic nations, though present
day perceptions evoke the image of the Far East and Southeast
Asia. The scope of the Orient has changed over time, varying
from scholars in accordance to hegemonic interests.
Hegemony- is an imperial form of dominance of indirect rule and
influence over a state within a sphere of influence, usually
through either military or cultural means.
Imperialism- is an unequal form of territorial relationship
manifested in the practice of pronouncing superiority and
dominance over another group. The result is usually a system of
colonialism, which is the invasion of other lands and territories,
often with commercial and exploitative goals in mind.

Orientalism
Orientalism- is a manner of regularized visions of the
Orient on ideological biases of Western views. It is a
cultural and political concept; it manifests in the forms of
the arts and literature, in paintings and writings meant to
capture the image of Oriental subjects and understand
them. Western Europe often drew influences in style and
fashion from the Orient; the Turqueire for instance was
adopted from depictions of the Ottomans from the
fifteenth to eighteenth centuries, and Chinoiserie was en
vogue right around the age of Enlightenment and drew
influences from Chinese themes.

However, Orientalism has also been affected by the imperialistic discourses of

nations that are dominantly France, the United Kingdom, and (more
contemporarily) the United States. In effect, it is a concept that has shaped
the perceptions of those living westward; it created the view of the other
that was often stigmatized with exoticism and distortions of the actual culture
meant to be represented in accordance to the views of the cultural hegemon,
and at times has been used to manipulate it as often seen in Eastern colonies
of Western imperial nations. As a result, the Orientalist perspective is often
detached from the Orient itself, and thus relies more on Western perception to
give an
image.
Orientalism should not, however, be confused as a cause; rather, it is a result
of
political and intellectual activities and ideas concerning the region. Orientalism
and,
conversely, the Orient itselfis a construction of the West; it is a result of
different
amalgamated views intended to paint a portrait of this other side of the

Types of Orientalism
There are two types of Orientalism; Latent and
Manifest.
Latent Orientalism- refers to the untouchable
certainty of what the Orient is. It is an idea,
albeit an unconscious one, that lends to the
depiction of the Orient as the other; in the
nineteenth century, it evoked images of
eccentricity and backwardness, of a passive
society that kept its head bent down and its
voice silent. It lent, for example, to the idea of
Social Darwinism, with scientists giving false
validations to the Orient being indeed a
backwards and lesser group of societies in
comparison to European-Aryan mastery based
on biological framework.
Manifest Orientalism- refers to the ideas of
Latent Orientalism being acted upon.

Occidentalism
Occidentalism- if the Orient refers to the East, the Occident refers to its
oppositethe West. It is derived from Occident, which is in turn taken from
the Latin word occidens (West, or literally setting).
While the idea of the Occidental is eminent among Eurocentric circles to
place exceptionalism upon European (and, at times, countries of
predominantly
European ancestry such as the United States and Australia) societies, the idea
of
Occidentalism itself evokes a different image outside Western perspectives.
Within
Western circles, Occidentalism develops as a stereotypical summation of
behaviors
within Western society. Outside of that, however, Occidentalism came in
conjunction
with usually negative anti-Western sentiments. It is reactionary to the
processes
Orientalism portrayed; if Orientalism is a Western structure induced by
Eurocentric

Occidentalism was born out of two sources; one being the

critiquing of Western culture by intellectuals of these
oppressed groups, and the criticism of Western society
brought about
by Western intellectuals themselves. Its aim is to undo
the distortions
the West has enforced upon the Orient throughout history
through
counterbalancing their societies; however, bitterness
paints these
aims, and thus even they are not immune to distortions
based on
Western action; thus, for example, the Arab world tends
to view the
West as immoral and imperial in thought and action.
Like Orientalism, therefore, Occidentalism functions not
as a cause but as a
result to political and intellectual aims; said aims,
however, being a
reactionary result of Orientalism itself.

East-West Dichotomy
East-West Dichotomy- refers to the perceived
differences of Eastern and Western cultures.
Both Orientalism and Occidentalism highlight a
divide in opinion between both sides of the
mirror through distortion, thus further enforcing
the idea that concepts of one side would not be
completely comprehensible to the other, and
vice versa.

References

"Hegemony."Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 08 May 2014. Web. 07 Aug. 2014.

"Orient."Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 July 2014. Web. 07 Aug. 2014.
"Orientalism."Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 July 2014. Web. 07 Aug. 2014.
"Occidentalism."Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 June 2014. Web. 07 Aug.
2014.
"Imperialism."Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 08 May 2014. Web. 07 Aug. 2014.
"East-West Dichotomy."Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 07 July 2014. Web. 07
Aug. 2014.
Rehman, M.D. Jalees. "'Occidentophobia': The Elephant in the Room."The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 18 Jan. 2013. Web. 07 Aug. 2014.
Sered, Danielle. "Orientalism."Postcolonial Studies Emory. N.p., Fall 1996. Web. 07
Aug. 2014.
Said, Edward W.Orientalism. New York: Vintage, 1979. PDF.
Hill, Gord.Colonization and Decolonization: A Manual for Indigenous Liberation in
the 21st Century. British Columbia: Warrior Publications, 2006. PDF.
Hanafi, Hassan. "From Orientalism to Occidentalism." (n.d.): n. pag. PDF.
Carrier, James G.Occidentalism: Images of the West. Oxford: Clarendon, 1995. PDF.

Thank you!