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Orientalism
(25th Anniversary Edition)
by Edward Said
Twenty-five
years after its first publication, Edward
Said's groundbreaking critique of the West's
historical, cultural, and political perceptions
of the East has become a modern classic.
In this wide-ranging, intellectually vigorous
study, Said traces the origins of "orientalism"
to the centuries-long period during which
Europe dominated the Middle and Near East
and, from its position of power, defined
"the orient" simply as "other
than" the occident. This entrenched
view continues to dominate western ideas
and, because it does not allow the East
to represent itself, prevents true understanding.
Essential, and still eye-opening, Orientalism
remains one of the most important books
written about our divided world.
Includes
a new preface by the author, written four
months before his death.
About the
Author
Edward Said,
who has died last year at age 67, was a
widely respected writer, scholar, and activist.
Dr. Said was a professor of literature at
Columbia University, and his book Orientalism
revolutionized the literary field. He was
one of the leading literary critics of the
last quarter of the 20th century, and he
was widely regarded as the outstanding representative
of the post-structuralist left in America.
Above all, he was the most articulate and
visible advocate of the Palestinian cause
in the United States.
Reviews
"Powerful and disturbing.... The
theme is the way in which intellectual traditions
are created and transmitted."
- Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York
Review
of Books
"Stimulating,
elegant yet pugnacious.... Said... observes
the West observing the Arabs, and he does
not like what he finds."
- The Observer
"An
important book.... Never has there been
as sustained and as persuasive a case against
Orientalism as Said's."
- Jerusalem Post
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