Orientalism on Trial: Rethinking The Post-colonial Project in The East

Abstract

This article explores the perplexities revolving in the vicinity of Orientalism. It tries to discern, dissect, and (re)view Orientalism and its role in shaping today’s world, more importantly, the binomial ambivalence of the West versus East connection. Said’s work, Orientalism, is going to be the locus of this article. In his book, the author tries to describe how the West perceives and represents the East. Through the author’s journey in the U.S., where he spent most of his life, he noticed that the West considers the East a one homogenous and static body. Edward Said’s stance on the separation of the world into two entities and the postcolonial project did not go unnoticed. In this article, the author’s work is analyzed in relation to his critics such as Ahmed Aijaz, Bernard Lewis, Samuel Huntington, and others.