Edward Said - On Orientalism (Sut Jhally, USA, 1998, vose)

In this adaptation of his paradigm-shifting book, Edward Said examines the origins and evolution of Western attitudes towards the Middle East. Said shows how perceptions of the Middle East as an exotic land full of villains and terrorists are deeply rooted in the Western imagination, and argues that this caricatured cultural heritage continues to blxnd too many Europeans and Americans to the complexity and diversity of the region.

"That's the power of the discourse of Orientalism. If you're thinking about people and Islam, and about that part of the wold, those are the words you constantly have to use. To think past it, to go beyond it, not to use it, is virtually impossible, because there is no knowledge that isn't codified in this way about that part of the world." - Edward Said

Sections: The Repertory of Orientalism | Orientalism and Empire | American Orientalism | Orientalism Today: The Demonization of Islam in the News and Popular Culture | Orientalism in Action: The Media and the Oklahoma City Bombing | Orientalism and the Palestinian Question

About Edward Said: Edward Wadie Said was a well-known Palestinian American literary theorist, critic, and outspoken pro-Palestinian activist. According to Columbia News (Columbia University, where Said spent most of his career), the author of Orientalism was "one of the most influential scholars in the world."

(i will be reading this book after watching this video)