Orientalism.edited 28.02.21

Edward Said was a literature professor at the University of Columbia and a founder of the post-colonial studies' academic field. Said was considered a cultural critic and known for his book Orientalism. Orientalism is regarded as a critique of how the western world perceives the Orient, which is today considered the Middle East, Asia, and the North Africa region. Said argues that the Orient's notion is a misconception from the real Orient as viewed from the West's eyes, precisely France, England, and the United States of America. Said says that the West has constructed their ideas of the Orient into what they want others to view it basing it on the power dynamics between the East and the West. Therefore, according to Said, the 'Orient' is a term created by the West.