SOC209H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Enchanted Garden, Hugh Honour, New World Wine
Representing the Other: Orientalism
One of the best examples of what Foucault means by a regime of truth is brought out about
Edard Saids stud of orietalis. This paper studies the eaple of orietalis, ad the
sees how far we can use the theory of discourse and the example of orientalism to analyze the
discourse of the West and the Rest.
4.1 Orientalism
Edward Said analyzes the various discourses and institutions that constructed and produced, as
an object of knowledge, that entity called the Orient. Without examining orientalism as a
discourse, one cannot possibly understand the enormously systematic discipline by which
Europeon culture was able to manage and even produce the Orient systematically, politically,
ideologically, sociologically, etc.
Orientalism is the representation of Asia in a stereotyped way that is regarded as embodying a
colonialist attitude. Because of orientalism, the Orient was not, and is not a subject of free
thought and action.
4.2 The Archive
Said argues that orientalism was a library of common information held. What bound this
archive was a family of ideas commonly held, and these ideas explained the behaviour of the
orients. These Europeans drew on these 4 main sources.
1. Classical knowledge: This was a major source of information about those other worlds.
There was apparently set of legendary islands. The information on these legendary
islands disappeared until it was found by, Islamic scholars later who considered
themselves a part of this other world.
2. Religious and biblical sources: These were another source of knowledge. The middle
Ages reinterpreted geography in terms of the Bible.
3. Mythology: Mythology transformed the outer world into an enchanted garden.
4. Travellers tale’s: This was the most fertile source of information. A discourse where
description turned into legend. An example is how they described the land of Indian as
e ith dogs head ho talk arkig.
The point of these stories is not to poke fun at the ignorance of the Middle Ages, but to bring
home how these very different discourses with variable statuses as evidence, provided the
ultural fraeork through hih the peoples plaes ad thigs of the Ne World ere see
and described.
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Document Summary
One of the best examples of what foucault means by a regime of truth is brought out about. This paper studies the e(cid:454)a(cid:373)ple of orie(cid:374)talis(cid:373), a(cid:374)d the(cid:374) sees how far we can use the theory of discourse and the example of orientalism to analyze the discourse of the west and the rest. Edward said analyzes the various discourses and institutions that constructed and produced, as an object of knowledge, that entity called the orient. Without examining orientalism as a discourse, one cannot possibly understand the enormously systematic discipline by which. Europeon culture was able to manage and even produce the orient systematically, politically, ideologically, sociologically, etc. Orientalism is the representation of asia in a stereotyped way that is regarded as embodying a colonialist attitude. Because of orientalism, the orient was not, and is not a subject of free thought and action. Said argues that orientalism was a library of common information held.
