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To start, here's the entry from the Oxford English Dictionary:
1. Oriental style or quality; the character, customs, etc., of oriental nations; an oriental trait, feature, or idiom.
{dag}2. Knowledge of the languages, cultures, etc., of the Orient. Obs. rare.
3. The representation of the Orient (esp. the Middle East) in Western academic writing, art, or literature; spec. this representation perceived as stereotyped or exoticizing and therefore embodying a colonialistic attitude.
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Mathews, Henry, "The Promotion of Modern Architecture by the Museum of Modern Art in the 1930s," Journal of Design History, 1994, Vol. 7, n. 1, p. 43-59
ReplyDeleteQuote: "Wright's theories are curiously incomplete and even in part contradictory. He has learnt very little the lesson of Ford and he has but a limited sympathy for the spirit of the machine as such. His approach to a pure architecture is complicated with the Nature worship and the ecstatic and individualistic democracy of Whitman. There is moreover an orientalism which appears as much in his writing as in his work." p. 48
Analysis: In this piece explicating the architectural history of 1930s regarding the Museum of Modern Art, Hitchcock critiques Wright's unorthodox styles and philosophies on the relationship between the bodies of buildings and bodies of land. "Orientalism" in this context of architecture seems to represent all that is non-Western which can be synonymous with "modern" because the Museum of Modern Art was a European conception that laid groundwork for the building of the modern nation-state; hence, the museum as it was conceived is supposed to represent and reflect the nation's ownership of its art and in effect creating a unified national identity. Because Wright does not place emphasis on the "machine," but rather "nature" in his planning and designing, Hitchcock "otherizes" Wright because he is different among many "modern" architects. Orientalism here characterizes the tensions between the West's imposition of its forwardness and claims to modernity and the East's "mysteriousness" and "backwardness", both of which are speculated through the gaze and hegemony of the West.
Kim Seong-Kon, "Orientalism in the 300 Spartans" The Korea Herald, March 28, 2010
ReplyDelete"The term Orientalism does not seem to exist in Microsoft Word yet. As soon as I type "Orientalism," a red underline appears, warning me that there is no such word in English. How nice it would be if Orientalism really did not exist! Unfortunately, however, Orientalism surely exists. Ever since Edward Said used the term in his controversial book "Orientalism" in 1978, Orientalism has been one of the most frequently used keywords in academia. Said argued that "'Orientalism' is a style of thought based upon an ontological and epistemological distinction made between 'the Orient' and 'the Occident.'" Then he added that he was interested in "Orientalism as a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient." Yet Microsoft Word still denies the existence of this word even in 2010"
I found this article on GOOGLEnews. I thought it was very interesting that this Korean professor pointed out that when a person writes the word on Microsoft word, it denies it as a actual word in the dictionary. He makes a good argument as to why this may be: like "orientalism" doesn't exist when it did/does. He also talks about the movie "300" and how orientalism was visibly displayed by how the Persians were represented in the film.
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, "Noble Dreams, Wicked Pleasures: Orientalism in America, 1870-1930" 2003
ReplyDeletesource: http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/1aa/1aa506.htm
"Noble Dreams, Wicked Pleasures presents approximately one hundred paintings, works of decorative art, sheet music and illustrations, advertisements, Shriner memorabilia, photographs, high fashion, and film clips. Through these objects, many of which are rarely seen even in reproduction, the exhibition traces the changing features of American Orientalism over the decades. The exhibition demonstrates how elite American artists and their patrons, in an increasingly urban, industrialized, and expansionist America, made use of Orientalist cliché, defining itself against the luxury and decay of an imagined Orient; and how, beginning with the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, Orientalism blossomed in American advertising and popular culture."
I came across this while looking at GOOGLEimage orientalism. Apparently in 2000, this school had a six month museum dedicated to orientalism and its popularity in the arts of American culture. The writer talks about the controversy with orientalism but appreciate the work of these artists but also notes that we should see just how oreientalism influence their work.
source: http://www.cartoonstock.com/vintage/directory/o/orientalism.asp
ReplyDeletei found this interesting page that has cartoons drawn (it doesn't say when they were drawn but you can tell it could be in the early 1900's or even late 1800's) and possible published in newspapers and magazines of their depiction of orientalism. These are ridiculous because they depict the east as exotic and very different and alien -like from the whites. there are about ten that is definitely something we need to look at for this project.
Mignolo, Walter D. "The Many Faces of Cosmo-polis: Border Thinking and Critical Cosmpolitanism." Public Culture, 2000: 721-748.
ReplyDeleteQuote: “The imperial difference was drawn in the eighteenth century even as a cosmopolitan society was being thought out. It was simultaneous to (and part of the same move as) the rearticulation of the colonial difference with respect to the Americas and to the emergence of Orientalism to locate Asia and Africa in the imaginary of the modern/colonial world.” (p. 732)
Analysis: Orientalism in this quote draws on its relations to Eurocentered construction(s) of geography or the world map(s) and how Europeans situated themselves in it by creating an essential “self” and “other” through dividing bodies of land and populations. The “other”—that is the colonially different “Orient” which not only encompassed Asia, but also Africa—were to be conquered and dominated by the self—that is the West which encompassed Europe and its expanding boundaries to the New World. The West’s subjective construction of physical and psychic geography based on Orientalist and colonialistic ideas still remain today in the racial imaginary among “modern” thinkers, many of whom reinforce binary-centered philosophical paradigms that perpetuate the coloniality of epistemology.
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ReplyDelete“Oriental Trading: Celebrating over 75 years of fun, Lowest Price Guarantee!”
ReplyDeletehttp://www.orientaltrading.com/
In the “About” Section:
Oriental Trading Company began in 1932 as one of the nation's first wholesalers of value-priced novelties and gifts. OTC became a major supplier to the U.S. carnival trade in the 1950’s before expanding in the 1970’s by using catalogs and direct marketing to target consumers, retailers and businesses. In the 1980’s, OTC’s first toll-free telephone number and seasonal catalogs brought continued growth.
As the Internet grew in popularity in the late 1990’s, OTC found a new way to reach its ever-growing number of customers. Today, the company continues to serve customers through colorful catalogs and the Internet. OTC offers more than 25,000 products to meet the needs of businesses, not-for-profit organizations, individuals, schools, churches and teachers.
Oriental Trading Company, Inc. is owned by The Carlyle Group, a global private equity firm. Brentwood Associates, a private equity firm, owns a significant minority ownership stake.
Oriental Trading Company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Omaha has consistently rated as one of the best places to live and is home to four Fortune 500 companies. OTC employs approximately 3,000 employees throughout five locations in the greater Omaha metropolitan area.
OTC is a strong, growing and entrepreneurial company with fun products and a long-standing commitment to excellent customer service. We make the world more fun…one smile at a time!
Analysis: Although Oriental Trading Company in its name contains the “Oriental,” a word historically evocative of a certain region and people of the world, the company expresses its localness to the United States as it is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. One can question why the company rhetorically chose to include “Oriental” in its name. Perhaps it is trying to cater to the consumer’s imagination and expectations around how low prices on easily-disposable and ephemeral products like toys are supposed to be produced in China, a country from the East? Or the imaginational associations of what is “fun” with the foreign, or the different within the context of the binary between the separation of “fun” and “work”; think of the American fantasies of “ideal” vacation spots (Bahamas, Thailand, Mexico, etc) versus work spaces like corporate centers and the office where the ordinary and mundane manifest. It is interesting to see how a word that is contemporarily often regarded as derogatory can still exist in industry, particularly within the name of a company like OTC, though the idea of “Orientalism” itself is primarily rooted in commerce and colonialism.
“Top Ramen: Oriental Flavor”
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nissinfoods.com/topramen/
Analysis: According to Nissin, “oriental flavor” is their vegetarian option in their line of inexpensive, yet filling instant noodles that is not only popular in its originating country of Japan, but also globally. “Oriental” in this context of how it is referenced alongside food and taste reinforces Orientalism, the Western colonialistic conceptualization of the East based on its desired resources and objects; hence, high in demand “oriental products” such as rugs, tea, jewelry, etc. are considered “exotic” from the gaze and (in)accessibility of the West. Likewise, Asian women or nonwhite, dark-skinned women today are objectified as “exotic” from the gaze and (in)accessibility of white men. Moreover, just as how oriental flavor is manufactured and globally consumed (globalizing force), the very belief in Orientalism is deeply rooted in the rise of capitalism and imperialism. Perhaps the marketing of “oriental” ramen is a rhetorical strategy for the East to sell Western notions of Eastern positionality and identity right back to the West.
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ReplyDeleteEmmett Eiland’s Oriental Rug Company
ReplyDeletehttp://www.internetrugs.com/
Since 1969
The Story of Emmett Eiland's Rug Company
Emmett Eiland and his brother Murray founded the Oriental Rug Company in 1969 in Berkeley, California. From the beginning, the Eilands made buying and research trips to Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus. Through newsletters, books, exhibitions, seminars, films and public talks, the Eilands helped create the fertile oriental rug scene in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In 1975 the brothers parted ways, and in 1979 Emmett's wife Natasha joined the business. Today, they're the proud owners of the oldest fully active rug store in Northern California, located in a spacious 8000 sq. ft. showroom in Berkeley. The Eilands continue to travel in search of excellent rugs — they are pioneers in the natural dye movement and groundbreakers in bringing the finest oriental rugs to online buyers.
Emmett's rug book, Oriental Rugs Today, is now in its second edition, and continues to be the authoritative text on new oriental rugs made with traditional techniques.
Analysis: In light of how Orientalism was formed out of the West’s desire to penetrate not only the Orient’s land and people, but also its valuable objects such as its rugs, the adjectival term "oriental" is still con temporarily used to describe and demarcate certain cultural objects. Nowadays, you do not need to go to the Orient to buy oriental rugs, you can simply drive a few miles in Berkeley to purchase what have been historically inaccessible or considered “rare” or “exotic” to the West. By oriental still being used in this context of objects and possessions, it evidently explains the coloniality, the subjectivity, and ultimately the non-universality of the English language. How else would you describe and distinguish these rugs from other rugs today?
"Orientalism" Vijay Prashad, KACS, pg 174 Quoted by Henry David Thoreau
ReplyDelete"Behold the difference between the Oriental and the Occidental. The former has nothing to do in this world; the latter is full of activity. The one looks in the sun till his eyes are put out; the other follows him prone in his west-ward course"
Analysis: Written in 1849, this quote serves as a propaganda effort by the English while the far east territories are belittled as lowly "followers". This quote sheds light into the initial usage of the term "orientalism" and the meaning that it carried with it. England, seen as a mighty imperial country, did not regard the colonies as equal. The orient was primitive. The orient was crude. The connotations carried by the word "Orientalism" shifted since its initial usage as it is now more often used to describe the exoticity of a place.
Orientalism, Misinformation and Islam
ReplyDeletehttp://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/orientalism.html
Analysis: this source serves to show that even today, the notion of how the orient is still misrepresented as a inferior place, compared to the West. an example used in this article is the discussion about the study of islam and arabic and how even scholars in those areas are intentionally belittling the cultures and traditions of islamic and arabic countries.
Orient-Express: A collection of unique experiences: luxury hotels, resorts, trains, restaurants and river-boats
ReplyDeletehttp://www.orient-express.com/
Analysis: What caught my eye on this website was its reference of the "orient-express" as a unique experience. What was more surprising was that their packages included trips to europe, which is not a part of the orient. The inclusion of european countries and other continents may signify a shift in the use and understanding of the term, "orient". In this particular source, it seems that they refer to the "orient" as any place that is under-populated and removed from modernization.
The Origin of the Tobaccos of the Oriental Type
ReplyDeleteFrederick A. Wolf; Frederick T. Wolf
http://www.jstor.org/pss/2482139
Analysis: this source was written in 1948 and i just wanted to emphasize the usage of term during that period of time. even though this was more of a technical paper on the source of tobacco, we could still draw from it that the phrase "oriental type" serves to include a foreign, unknown kind that needs to be studied and understood. it is portrayed like an unfamiliar territory that may have hidden dangers and traps.
Mixed Race America: The many faces of orientalism
ReplyDeletehttp://mixedraceamerica.blogspot.com/2008/01/many-faces-of-orientalism.html
Analysis: i found this blog while looking for specific sources and i find it interesting that this particular blogger addresses the race issue in america. From the analogy of the assimilation of Asian Americans as a mixed salad, the blogger talks about many examples today about how many everyday things have been inherently transformed to have different meaning in order to sell a product. The 'orientalized' products may seem to have an exotic connotation and reference that the 'Western' society would be more interested in.
http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/Milwaukee/OrientalTheatre.htm
ReplyDelete"The Oriental is Milwaukee's only operating movie palaces, certainly the most beautiful and ornate one that has shown movies for 75 years solid. When the Oriental opened on July 2, 1927, it featured 2 minaret towers, three marvleous stained glass chandeliers, 6 larger-than-life Buddhas, several hand drawn murals, 8 porcelain lions, dozens of original draperies, and hundreds of elephants. This is how the papers described the Oriental when it opened and this is how it could be described today! The Oriental Theatre was the crown jewel among the 45 theatres in the Saxe Brothers' chain. The motif is not what first comes to mind today as being 'oriental.' Designed by Gustave A. Dick and Alex Bauer, the themes of the decor are East Indian, with no traces of Chinese or Japanese artwork. Milwaukee's Oriental is said to be the only standard movie palace ever built to incorporate East Indian decor."
Analysis: This quote is interesting to me as it sort of traces the origins of the meaning of the "orient". British first colonized india in the 1600s and since then, india has been referred to as the orient. In the present days, when someone thinks "orient", china and japan commonly comes to mind instead of india. This quote especially points out that its theme is east india instead of chinese or japanese, showing the changing trend of the word "orientalism".
'Oriental Yeti' May Be a Sick Common Mammal
ReplyDeletehttp://news.discovery.com/animals/oriental-yeti-may-be-a-sick-common-mammal.html
Analysis: The discovery of this exotic animal is quite a surprising find. However, one can still see that anything that is exotic, rare, uncommon can be labeled as "oriental". Therefore, this animal does not escape that label either. Just because it was found in China, this animal is referred to as the 'oriental yeti' in mainstream media. Therefore, we can tell that despite current understanding that the term carries a inferior meaning, "oriental" is still being used to characterize something from the far east countries.
Restaurant - Oriental Wok
ReplyDeletehttp://www.orientalwok.com/aboutus.php
Analysis: This is an example of how stereotypes are being internalized and used to benefit the "victims" of these stereotypes. Even though the word oriental carries a negative and discriminative meaning, Asian Americans have learned to use the exotic side of this term to their advantage. Naming their restaurant the 'oriental wok' appeals to the american mindset and is a great marketing tool. They could have chose another name but they decided that the word oriental would be best suited for business, which sadly, is the truth.
American Oriental Society
ReplyDeletehttp://www.umich.edu/~aos/
Analysis: This is interesting because I would expect a group studying about the "orient" to have a good understanding of the term oriental. It is quite controversial to see that despite their devotion to the study of "orientalism", they decided to keep the name American Oriental Society.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/playing-politics-with-the-chinese-currency-2010-04-12?reflink=MW_news_stmp
ReplyDelete"A policy based on statements hinting at dastardly behind-the-scenes Oriental deviousness -- not the kind of thing that Americans have ever indulged in themselves, to be sure -- does seem a trifle lacking in subtlety."
Analysis: This article, written by an English man, characterize the policy of the Chinese on currency rates as "oriental deviousness".
de·vi·ous (dv-s)
adj.
1. Not straightforward; shifty: a devious character.
2. Departing from the correct or accepted way; erring: achieved success by devious means.
3. Deviating from the straight or direct course; roundabout: a devious route.
4. Away from a main road or course; distant or removed.
As we can see, the word deviousness does not exactly carry a positive connotation to it. By characterizing this "deviousness" as oriental shows just how a western power still sees the eastern countries with a negative point of view. It is also interesting how he follows by saying that it is not the kind of thing that the Americans would indulge themselves in. This attempt to separate the white powers from the chinese is another example to demonstrate how the discriminative viewpoint is still present today.
Robert Said's "Orientalism"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwCOSkXR_Cw
Analysis: In this video, Robert Said discusses his controversial book "Orientalism," which poses questions about the Western's conception of the "East," including the Middle East and Islamophobia. The transitioning speaker describes the book's text and analyses as "highly influential in the fields of cultural and postcolonial studies," both of which we have covered in class. In "Orientalism," Said explores how the "modern day" imagination of the East and Middle-East have a historical and colonialistic undertone. He covers this history along with the deconstruction of this gaze through which this history is realized and interpreted.
Orientalist Art of the 19th century
ReplyDeletehttp://www.orientalistart.net/
Analysis: In this website, "orientalist" art is displayed and historicized as a type of style from European artists interpreting the region of the Middle East. This specific history of orientalist art stems to the Napoleonic expansion. Many paintings on this website show European artists drawing the people and landscape of the Middle East as a kind of style. Perhaps these artists were also trying to mimic the artistic style of their conquered subjects.
Japanimation and Techno-Orientalism
ReplyDeletehttp://www.t0.or.at/ueno/japan.htm
Analysis: A more modern day advancement and critique of "orientalism" as "techno-orientalism" in the context of "post-ford," "information capitalism," and globalization, all of which revolve around the modernization and the rise of East Asian, particularly Japanese, capitalism. Ueno in this article situates a Japanese animated movie "Ghost in the Shell" as an analogical metaphor for Japan's technology-human crisis, exploring the ways in which race, class, gender, and sexuality plays a role in the "automization" of Japanese humanity. The author also explores the ways in which dominant ideologies and imaginaries of West on the East is reinforced through Japan's hypermodernization of society and self to a point where the self is lost or made ambiguous in wires, chips, and circuits.
Orient Watch USA
ReplyDeletehttps://www.orientwatchusa.com/
Analysis: This website is hosted by a large company called "Orient Watch USA" that produces and sells popular watches in "Asia, Europe, and South America." This Japanese company advertises "if you Google 'automatic watches' you will notice that Orient Watch is a top search result, ahead of the most popular automatic Swiss brands," showing product and commodity dominance and prestige over leading competing brands of watches. The only thing I interpret these watches as "Oriental" is the 1) name, and 2) country of origin, Japan, which is part of the "Orient." Perhaps the marketing scheme of the name is to signify the "Orient" with the "automization" of Japan through the gaze of "techno-orientalism" as described above as a point of sale. Consumers would think "if these watches come from the Orient, or Japan, a region of the globe that is heavily digitized and technological, then the quality of htese watches MUST be superior!"
Source: http://www.angryasianman.com/2009/04/vassar-college-minicourse-language-of.html
ReplyDeleteAnalysis: I read from this famous Asian American blogger who wrote some months ago about a college that during spring offers student taught mini classes that don't offer credit. one class this year was about how to get the orient woman by learning her culture so it would be easier to approach her. there is a link to another episode to tell use the sexist and racist things that this class was portraying to its students. i think the class is lame because its main focus is to learn some other culture solely on stereotypes. who is qualified for the job anyways.
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ReplyDelete"Murder on the Orient Express"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071877/
more information on the train itself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orient_Express
Synopsis
The Belgian detective Hercule Poirot boards the Orient Express. One of the passengers requests his protection, but Poirot declines. The next day the passenger is found dead in his compartment and Poirot is asked to solve the case. The train is forced to stop due to a snow drift blocking the tracks. This gives him a few hours to figure out the murderer's identity before the local police take over the investigation. During his investigation, Poirot discovers that many of the passengers have some connection to a 5 year old case where an infant was kidnapped and murdered in which the mastermind escaped prosecution. This lead to the death (during childbirth) of the mother and the suicide of her father. This could be the vital clue to crack the case, but can he do it in time? Written by rmlohner
Analysis: This movie centers around a murder case that took place on a train called "Orient Express," which is a luxurious and opulent transportation method for the rich and wealthy traveling from Paris, France to Istanbul, Turkey. Perhaps the name-givers kept in mind the eastward direction the train traveled; hence, "Orient Express" providing movement to the East or Orient. Moreover, the association with wealth and gaudiness of the train is also evocative of "Orient" as an imagery of desire affirming the West's subjectivity.
http://www.angryasianman.com/2008/03/chinese-laundrys-headless-naked.html
ReplyDeleteAnalysis: I actually came across this a few years ago and while searching orientalism, i came across it again. this is about a restaurant that opened a few years ago that used a naked (asian)woman as a part of the opening ad. she is cut off on her face, hands, and legs, submitting her sitting body to just her naked torso. this restaurant is opened by a white man, encouraging others that is chinese restaurant is ethnically chinese legit. this ad caused a lot of ruckus and was replace but nothing changed much. the restaurants used of this ad shows oreintalism in ways that portrays women at submissive and exotic thus portraying that they're food will be as well.
googling "oriental movies"
ReplyDeleteanalysis: i didn't want to post anything i found when i was googling oriental movies because what i found was quite disgusting. my intention was to find movies that were made in the past themed with oriental-ness and i guess i wasn't really thinking about what would show up but on the first list of the search results that i had were filled with porn sites and the list continues! i was mixed with a few articles here and there but it is sad to think that googling "oriental movies" i would get a bunch of porn sites. its upsetting that that term together would result in sites that submit women to their race and would classify them towards this certain porn that they make. i mean wow, it's a type of porn theme. ewww.
film: Big Trouble in Little China
ReplyDeletesynopsis: Big Trouble in Little China (also known as John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China) is a 1986 American action comedy, directed by John Carpenter. It stars Kurt Russell as truck driver Jack Burton, who helps his friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) rescue Wang's green-eyed girlfriend (Suzee Pai) from bandits in San Francisco's Chinatown. They go into the mysterious underworld beneath Chinatown, where they face an ancient sorcerer named Lo Pan (James Hong). (taken from wiki!)
analysis: i was watching this movie the other day and immediately i wanted to tie it to this project. as much as i hate to say i like the action of this movie and one of my favorite AA actors is in this, this movie is really racist the way it portrays Chinese culture. they exoticfy chinese black magic and sorcery and the way they present the chinese parts in the movie i would say is very exaggerated with the costumes of the bad guys. the title itself "little china" insists that it's in the united states but it still has its own country i guess you can say within, making it not western.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_Stories
ReplyDeleteanalysis: i got this off of wiki but it is about a magazine that came out in the 1930's (basically the early 1900's, the era of ORIENTALISM), called "Oriental Stories." Some guy back then was writing stories with oriental themes and elements. it was a spin off from another magazine called weird tales. just from that, it is offensive that they would related orientalism to "weird" and the cover of the magazine (which you may see on the site) is completely one of racist. the name of the magazine later changed to magic carpet magazines which is also racist because it refers to South Asian cultures. I guess i don't really have to note this but all written stuff in this magazine was written by white americans.
film: the thief of Baghdad (1924)
ReplyDeletesynopsis: The movie, strong on special effects of the period (flying carpet, magic urn and fearsome monsters) and featuring massive Arabian-style sets, also proved a stepping stone for a scantily-clad Anna May Wong, who portrayed a Mongol slave.
analysis: i saw this film a couple of years ago in my asian ameican film class and i think it definitely signifies the type of orientalism that was around in the early 1900's. the fact that movies was the big influence back then and everyone loved the movies, what ever was made was influencing its audience. in the 1920's i believe that films made about orientalism was starting to become popular because american people were exposing themselves to a culture that they have never seen before, a very exaggerated picture portrayed by non asians themselves. this silent film actually stars the famous Anna May Wong as a sexy mongol sex slave to is very devious. the way the arab culture and the way anna may wong is portrayed in the movie gives us a really strong idea of what americans saw cultures non western.
film: the cheat (1915)
ReplyDeletesynopsis: Edith Hardy (Fannie Ward) steals charity money in order to invest it in stocks. When she loses the money, she turns to a wealthy Burmese man (Sessue Hayakawa) for a loan. He gives it to her, but when she later attempts to return it, he says the repayment he wants is her. When she resists, he brands her and declares her his property. Edith shoots him. Her husband Richard (Jack Dean) is blamed for the crime.
analysis: during the popularity of silent films in the early 1900's, sessue hayakawa was one of the very few asian americans on screen (he was lucky to even be casted but only in very stereotypical roles). the way he was portrayed as a wealthy man was out of the ordinary but he was portrayed as very mysterious and very cultural, with the sorts of antiques that he was collecting. the film is basically how he tries to blackmail a white woman and even tries to kiss her and how he is punished for it in the end for branding her. i know that after this movie came out, the was this "cheating" fantasy that many white american women had about having relations with an asian man because the way it was portrayed in the movie was very exotic and exciting. overall, the way hayakawa was portrayed at a devious and shady "Burmese" man just tells us how american filmmakers saw Asians and how they thought about interracial relationships between a colored man and a white woman.
Edward Said, “Orientalism,” 1995,
ReplyDeleteDifferent Aspects of the Term Orientalism:
“The Orient: signifies a system of representations framed by political forces that brought the Orient into Western learning, Western consciousness, and Western empire. The Orient exists for the West, and is constructed by and in relation to the West. It is a mirror image of what is inferior and alien ("Other") to the West.
Orientalism: is "a manner of regularized (or Orientalized) writing, vision, and study, dominated by imperatives, perspectives, and ideological biases ostensibly suited to the Orient." It is the image of the 'Orient' expressed as an entire system of thought and scholarship.
The Oriental: is the person represented by such thinking. The man is depicted as feminine, weak, yet strangely dangerous because poses a threat to white, Western women. The woman is both eager to be dominated and strikingly exotic. The Oriental is a single image, a sweeping generalization, a stereotype that crosses countless cultural and national boundaries.
Latent Orientalism: is the unconscious, untouchable certainty about what the Orient is. Its basic content is static and unanimous. The Orient is seen as separate, eccentric, backward, silently different, sensual, and passive. It has a tendency towards despotism and away from progress. It displays feminine penetrability and supine malleability. Its progress and value are judged in terms of, and in comparison to, the West, so it is always the Other, the conquerable, and the inferior.
Manifest Orientalism: is what is spoken and acted upon. It includes information and changes in knowledge about the Orient as well as policy decisions founded in Orientalist thinking. It is the expression in words and actions of Latent Orientalism. (Said, 1)”
Analysis:
As we begin to conceptualize the term Orientalism, we first need to understand the different variations of this term. Author and Professor Edward Said, gives us an evaluation and critique of the set of beliefs known as Orientalism forms an important background for post colonial analysis. In the world of academia and in society in general the word “Oriental” can be interpreted in so many different aspects. At times, depending who you ask, Orientalism can have different connotations which can be both positive and negative. The lack of knowing the definition of this word can stir up controversy. Why? If this word is not used in the proper context then the discussion on this subject can cause discrimination rather than a scholarly discussion. Said, provides us a better understanding what this term means and how it can be used in an array of scholarly ways.
Orientalism
ReplyDeleteEntry: MUSLIM RESPONSE TO: Orientalism
< http://saifulislam.com/?p=1928 >
MUSLIM RESPONSE
Quote: “When the colonialization type of Orientalism dominated the field, this is not to suggest that every Orientalist was a conscious agent of imperialism or that all researches done in this field served to justify the legitimate colonialism. There was never an entirely monolithic European stance toward Islam, Muslims, the Orient or colonialism [1]. But Muslims are the direct ‘victims’ of many of the Western countries’ foreign policies which took it shape from the expertise of the Orientalists.
For this reason, it is not easy to find among the Muslims who response to the Orientalism in an objective and academic manner. Orientalism became a taboo to them which led to the extensive approach of generalizing all those whom their views are against Islamic values to be considered as Orientalists. In general, the common response from Muslims is in the language of victim and defensive manner.
In order for us to do justice to the discussion, we would like to suggest the Muslim response to Orientalism to be divided into two major categories:
1. Response given by Muslim scholars and preachers and other prominent figures from the background of Islamic Studies.
2. Response given by Muslim scholars and other influential figures from the background of Human Sciences and other disciplines outside the field of Islamic Studies.
This categorization is not intended to generalize the many type of Muslim responses but more or less, to offer a better treatment to the subject within the limit.
Analysis:
Understanding how Muslims view this term makes us envision how important it is to when and when not to use this term as a form of categorization of a certain group. This article tells us how the effects of a single word had on Muslims in the western world. Hence, to Muslims it is difficult to consider the term Orientalism as a simple description of their self-identity. In sum, this article on Orientalism gives us how to use the language of Muslim scholars within our very own academic studies on Orientalism.
Orientalism:
ReplyDeleteEntry: Orientalist Art of the Nineteenth Century
European Painters in the Middle East
< http://www.orientalistart.net/index.html>
Quote: “ In July of 1798 Napoleon marched into Egypt with an army. He defeated the Turks at the battle of the Pyramids, stayed for a year and then was driven out by the British. In the small amount of time that he was there he managed to do what he did best: he changed everything.
Following him came first a trickle and then a torrent of westerners into the Near and Middle East. The writers who wrote about their experiences and the artists who painted what they saw became known as the Orientalists. They traveled through Turkey, Iraq, Persia, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Arabia and North Africa. With time this became an art movement and today we call it Orientalist art”
Analysis:
In this article which an author that describes what became known as images and preconceived notions of Orientalists art. To be more exact, the painting of a woman on this site titled Orientalist Art of the Nineteenth Century: European Painters in the Middle East, shows us how the world viewed the middle east customs, gender, and class. The woman on the painting is known as the 'Berber Woman' painted by Emile Vernet-Lecomte, French. Oil, 1870, which is displayed on the front of this site again, can only begin to show the surface of what Orientalists art really looked like and over time has taken on a new form of categorization of Middle Eastern history. The second painting is called the 'Pilgrims going to Mecca' by Leon Belly, French. Oil, 1861, which shows us a particular custom and belief of the middle east world—the rite of passage (pilgrimage) to the holy land. Paintings such as these are known as orientalist art, today.
Entry: Japan as Other: Orientalism and Cultural Conflict
ReplyDeleteby Steven L. Rosen
Quote:
"Orientalism" has been identified as the particular form that Western stereotypical understandings of Asian cultures has taken. Intercultural communication becomes highly problematic as long as stereotypes are held and as long as the other culture is seen as foreign and wholly other. By transcending this "Orientalism" we will be in a better position to understand and communicate with those from another culture without having to set up a dichotomous boundary between "us" and "them." Conflict with Japan is focused on 1) because there seems to be a lot of it, and 2) because Japan represents a unique culture field which is, in some ways, both modern and familiar, yet in other ways seemingly foreign to Western interpretive structures.”
Analysis:
This article tells us about the stereotypical notions or understanding of what Orientalism meanings in Asian cultures. The article goes more in-depth on how the Japanese community grapples with this term. In sum, a conflict occurs when someone does not understand the identity that is given by the outside world to those in the eastern world. The Japanese community already interlocking views their own culture and self identity, however being called oriental is an issue. This article tells us more about their view on communicating this problem of characterizing their culture with a single word and they break down their theory on Orientalism.
Entry: Orientalism, Occidentalism and the Control of Women
ReplyDeleteby. Laura Nader
http://cdy.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/2/3/323.pdf
Quote: “The questions are twofold: 1) how does critique of the other operate
as a key to the process by which civilizations and nation-states control their
women and the women of other cultures; 2) how are the dynamics of male
dogma controlled by notions that women’s place vis-a-vis men improves with
the development of civilization, or the contrary view - that the higher the
civilization, the increased ascendancy of men. These two questions will combine
to address the dynamics of male dogma operating in contemporary and
interacting world systems: how could images of women in other cultures act
as a control to women in one’s own society? (1)”
Analysis:
This author tells us on how gender has been affected by the term Orientalism. Nader in this article shows how the Eastern world handles its civilization with gender dynamics. In sum, the article shows how society is controlling of women and their culture in the Orient. This article illustrates how both men and women both have a duty in constructing civilization and developing it while building the definition of Orientalism.
Entry: Orientalism in Crisis
ReplyDeleteby. Anouar Abdel-Malek
http://dio.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/11/44/103.pdf
Quote: “In order to dispel “the iron curtain of false enigmas,”; of which
Claude Roy speaks, it is urgent to undertake a revision, a
critical reevaluation of the general conception, the methods and
implements for the understanding of the Orient that have been
used by the West, notably from the beginning of the last
century, on all levels and in all fields.”
Analysis:
What is important about this article is how Anouar Abdel-Malek gives the reader a historical background on how China views the understanding of the Orient. Anouar Abdel-Malek begins with giving us notions of Orientalism from different parts of the globe, dating back from the early 1940s. The project in which the term Orientalism is used by this author is historic in the fact that he traces the origins of this term during WWII and what became of it as Chinas population grew from this point onward.
Entry: The Question of Orientalism*
ReplyDeleteBy. Bernard Lewis
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~rel8/Dpndtdocs/General/Orientalism1.pdf
Quote: “What then is Orientalism? What did the word mean before it was
poisoned by the kind of intellectual pollution that in our time has
made so many previously useful words unfit for use in rational
discourse? In the past, Orientalism was used mainly in two senses.
One is a school of painting -- that of a group of artists, mostly from
Western Europe, who visited the Middle East and North Africa and
depicted what they saw or imagined sometimes in a rather romantic
and extravagant manner.”
Analysis:
The article provided by Bernard Lewis,”The Question of Orientalism,” tells us how people in the United States educational outlets (universities) question the term Orientalism, today. Lewis continues with mentioning on how Orientalism was used to describe what Orientalism means, and what it was used for to describe modern art of the artists from the Middle East in the lens of Western Europeans scholars. From this we begin to understand how this term has had a history of trying to de-colonize itself from the Western world and they way the author mentions in his article is that Orientalism has become a form of struggle by those that have been associated with this term.
Entry: BEYOND ORIENTALIST DISCOURSES: MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY IN ASIA
ReplyDeleteBy. CHIN-CHUAN LEE
http://www.javnost-thepublic.org/media/datoteke/2001-2-lee.pdf
Quote:
“…It is concerned to address critically a
number of the ways in which the issue of media and
democracy in Asia is currently discussed. The sheer
variety of the experience of Asia is emphasized, and
explanations that seek to account for the past and
present shortcomings of democratization in some
Asian countries in terms of general categories are found
to be wanting. For example, the use of idea of the
influence Confucianism to explain important social
phenomena is shown to be insensitive the complexity
of the ideas that are lumped together under the single
term .”
Analysis:
In this article Chin-Chuan Lee, talks about the influences the media has bad on the Asian experience and identity in today’s society. The different types of behavior or reaction one may have if a viewer is told about a society in which is often stereotyped. With key terms such as Orientalism, Lee mentions in her article to be a vehicle in which the east has been categorized due to the mass media—hence problems about the relationship between state, media, market, globalization, and democracy that remain to be explored in detail.
Entry: Behind Orientalisms Veil
ReplyDeleteBy Juliet Highet
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200902/behind.orientalism.s.veil.htm
Quote: “Raficq Abdulla, a poet and art writer, was among a number of cultural figures whom the Tate invited to post comments at the exhibit. Rather than letting a superficial relationship between “colonizer” and “colonized” be the sole lens through which we today can understand how British (and other) Orientalists represented their subjects, understandings of Orientalism have become more complex and nuanced, he wrote, “a focus, a module upon which people of different cultures can exchange perspectives and prejudices, becoming more aware of who they are—and who they are not—in a fast globalizing world.”
Analysis:
The painting portrayed in this article gives us a vivid picture on how the European (British) handled their exhibitions in the Middle East. It is clear that we can see how the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized interacted with one another and how they would conduct business with one another. The main project of the key term Orientalism in this article is how the term itself has evolved and has taken on different shapes in society. Due to globalization this term has be adopted by the collective conscience of today.
Entry: Orientalism, Mardi Gras style : UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies
ReplyDeletehttp://www.international.ucla.edu/cnes/home/print.asp?parentid=14972
Quote: Eastern Americana will soon be on display on a website that CNES is developing as part of a long-term project to collect, record and interpret Middle Eastern representations in American culture. The theme of Middle Eastern Americana or American Orientalism as pursued by the Center was introduced by Jonathan Friedlander at the First World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies held in Fall 2002 in Mainz, Germany, and more recently in a two-panel session he organized for the 2003 Middle East Studies Association Conference.
Analysis:
This source we have a picture of an American Military Sailor from the Navy standing in from of a Lead float of the Cleopatra Krew, Mardis Gras, in New Orleans. Clearly this website by UCLA has posted this picture to depict how America views the notion of Orientalism. The characteristics of the photo show the art of the Middle East and how it is celebrated today in parades. UCLA has project documents and interprets Middle East Americana and in this field they seek to understand more about conceptualizing Orientalism in America through the field of Middle Eastern Studies.