It is not often that a brilliantly, exhaustively researched book on an alternatingly controversial and trivialized subject can engender an emotional response of the magnitude with which this work does--which usually means that it is worth reading. In documenting the psychological architecture of the western mind and its perspective on the East--or the "Orient", he deconstructs it. The idea that it exists deconstructs it by nature; before reading this book you will swear that most of what we know of the Arabian East is the absolute truth, without even being aware that it's been either romanticized into impotence or isn't much of anything complimentary, let alone influential.

I rate ORIENTALISM, for its effect on our psyche as Americans alone (regardless of race or assumed political leanings), as one of the most important books written in the last decades of the 20th century. The world looks the way it does not because of natural law, like the reasons why the Sahara has become a desert--or at least not by the natural laws we have imagined. Edward Said, regardless of the possibility of his biases coming through his scholarship, regardless of the political realities he left out of his thesis, shows this in remarkable fashion to people-- like myself--who never considered this fact's existence (let alone its influence on my perceptions of the Middle East in all their forms).

Be mature enough to accept that it is not the only educated opinion or set of facts about our complex world, and this book will be a great read and teach a great deal.


A very important contribution.   March 29, 2002
 8 out of 13 found this review helpful

Edward Said links the university tradition known as Orientalism to 19th century Western imperialism. He shows how Orientalism is biased and not objective and imposes Western values on the Orient. He highlights the biases of authors such as Bernard Lewis and other significant orientalists of the past century.

The book is written in a scholarly style so is not as accessible as it could be, but the author's reading is breathtaking


OrientalismyA Benchmark for Future Generation yPretendersy!   March 18, 2002
 15 out of 24 found this review helpful

...It is impossible to make a critique of Edward W Said's "Orientalism" within 1,000 words. A description would do injustice and prejudice the reader who intends to embark on a journey into scholarly research. I will therefore try to comment on Edward W Said's "Orientalism" from a philosophical point of view, trying to keep in mind that I want neither to defend, nor attack issues raised in this masterly piece of work.

The beauty of path breaking books is that they not only describe (explain) a set of hypotheses, but also open doors in the minds of future generation thinkers. This is what separates the best from the rest. This is "the" criterion that makes a piece of art stand the test of time. If this is true, "Orientalism" definitely qualifies a place as one of the best-written books of the Twentieth Century.

If the hypothesis that all science is political is accepted, then reviews and critiques of "Orientalism" will be at extremes-some receiving the book with warmth, others attacking it with severe animosity.

Talking about a sensitive and political subject like "Orientalism" that has been shaped over centuries of description by "westerners" in particular, challenges the very notion of how the "West" has come to view the "East". Said is right when he stresses that the "West" sees the "East" from a superiority complex, and that this view is inherent within its very outlook. It is not unnatural for a culture or civilisation to impose its superiority on other cultures and civilisations. Human beings, by their very nature, are insecure, and thus find an outlet to establish their superiority over others. And indeed, an 'inherent' characteristic, not only of the outlook of the "West" towards the "East", but also from the other way too.

One of my most favourite metaphors in describing sensitive issues is how does one define half a glass of water, "half full" or "half empty"? Both are correct and both are wrong! Truth itself is relative and subject to contrasting interpretations. Each individual will have a personalised interpretation on the same phenomenon or topic (recall Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon").

Like any great piece of scholarly literature, "Orientalism" will also fall prey to attack and defense. Nevertheless, "Orientalism" will find a place as one of the greatest works on sociological sciences, a masterpiece that has opened up new windows-more eyes to see the world we live in, not only for today, but also for future generations to come. Whatever one's view about "Orientalism", it will remain a benchmark for future generation 'pretenders'!

Asrar Chowdhury
Girton College, Cambridge, March 2002


The West has so much to unlearn about the East.   July 1, 1999
 6 out of 25 found this review helpful

There are a lot of things the "Occidental" has to unlearn regarding the "Oriental".So much so, that Orientals have so much to learn to be Oriental in their own respect.I believe that it was prudent of the author Edward W. Said to use "discourse" other than narrative, since there has been enough "stories" told about the East.