Through the lens of Orientalism
The Orient represents a Western projection on the geographic, historical, cultural and linguistic features of Eastern civilizations. It provides a reference in establishing a dichotomy between East and West whereby the West has given itself the role of a benchmark. The identity ascribed to the Orient by the Occident has resulted in a doctrine that continues to shape fundamental policies and perceptions towards Eastern civilizations, especially the Middle East. This doctrine is coined under the term Orientalism. The major contributor to Orientalism was a well astound Palestinian scholar, Edward W. Said, who has enlightened my view on the way the Near East is perceived by the people of the West.
Perceptions on Arab peoples indoctrinated within Orientalism shed some light on why our Lebanon and its surrounding Arab brethren are in a constant state of violence and war mongering. It explains why the Western world has exploited our sanctity and resources in favor of their national interest. Orientalism is the key to understanding how the West has managed to “divide and conquer” the peoples of the Middle East. After reading Orientalism by Edward Said, I believe that his findings are immensely significant for Arab youth today in understanding the cultural hegemony that has been imposed on our people, Lebanese and the like.
For those that have not read his work, Edward Said’s Orientalism discusses and illustrates how the identity of Orientals was, and continues to be, constructed by Western culture. A group of European scholars established the epistemological field of Orientalism and used their own perception of Arabs to build a database of “facts” on the identity and culture of Arab people. European scholars such as Renan, Chateaubriand, Sacy, Lane, among others, were well renowned “Orientalists” in the post-Enlightenment period. Some Orientalist works even date back to Dante. Edward Said depicts the relationship between ‘Oriental’ and ‘Orientalist’ incredibly when he says: “The Orient then seems to be, not an unlimited extension beyond the familiar European world, but rather a closed field, a theatrical stage affixed to Europe. An Orientalist is but the particular specialist in the knowledge for which Europe at large is responsible.” I could cite numerous examples from primary texts belonging to Orientalist scholars that form conclusions and generalizations about the Arab psyche. Said’s book is laden with such examples and I encourage this read. However, I will share one such quote by Orientalist H. R. Gibb in a lecture he gave in 1945: “The rejection of rationalist modes of thought and of the utilitarian ethic which is inseparable from [the Arab Muslims] has its roots, therefore, not in the so-called ‘obscurantism’ of the Muslim theologians but in the atomism and discreteness of the Arab imagination.” Gibb’s statement characterizes Arab Muslims as irrational and unethical, and he attributes this to the “Arab imagination.” However, it seems to me that ‘Arab imagination’ lacks scope and definition. As a civilization, we have been implicitly stereotyped by Gibb, and others: Western scholars, writers, politicians, anthropologists, sociologists. We have been stereotyped, as individuals and as nations, without giving our will or consent to these identities that have been ascribed to us. Enraging? I believe so. This ideology is what drives the Israeli occupation of the ‘crazy, rock-throwing Palestinians.’ The current Israeli invasion of Gaza is a genocide not a defense tactic! Yet, a large proportion of Western media refuses to see it as such because Palestinians, like the rest of us, are ‘unethical’ and ‘irrational.’ This ideology is what justified the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. This ideology justifies why we are seen as a democracy-ridden people, as war criminals and as suicide bombers.
Now, more disappointing than my evidence and argument above is the following. Yes, we have been ‘Orientalized’ by the West for the last few centuries and Orientalists have committed this crime against our identity. And yes, it has been a fundamental pre-text for our exploitation and suffering. However, notice that in the recent years, the practice of Orientalism by the West has become internal practice among ourselves, the Arabs, and among Lebanese citizens all the same. If you, as an Arab, felt enraged by the way Gibb portrayed our race in the quote above, you should also realize that the sectarian divisions in Lebanon today are based on the same perceptions and mode of thought that Gibb has used to identify us. Except, we have mirrored these identifications amongst ourselves; instead of basing our arguments on “Arab imagination” we base them on “Sunni,” “Shiite,” “Christian,” or “Druze” imaginations, whatever they may be. The brutal nightmare of what has come to be called ISIS is one of the greatest crimes to Muslim identity in modern times. The racist ideology created by Orientalism has, unfortunately, been impressed on us and, ironically, now we commit this crime against one another. We see this in the creation of ISIS, and in the Syrian civil war, both having direct implications on Lebanon. I recognize that the lens of Orientalism is now placed on the spectacles of the Arabs and it has placed on our people a legacy of mistrust and prejudice. As a younger generation, it should be our goal to remove these spectacles that distort the reality for peace and coexistence. I would have to agree with Said that the greatest goal would be for mankind to “not only to understand oneself but to understand oneself in relation to others and to understand others as if you would understand yourself.” As a nation we must accept this first before we make any progress towards coexistence. Perhaps an ISIS representative would call me a nonbeliever, but I would rather be a human being first than a believer of their doctrines.
N.C
The Orient represents a Western projection on the geographic, historical, cultural and linguistic features of Eastern civilizations. It provides a reference in establishing a dichotomy between East and West whereby the West has given itself the role of a benchmark. The identity ascribed to the Orient by the Occident has resulted in a doctrine that continues to shape fundamental policies and perceptions towards Eastern civilizations, especially the Middle East. This doctrine is coined under the term Orientalism. The major contributor to Orientalism was a well astound Palestinian scholar, Edward W. Said, who has enlightened my view on the way the Near East is perceived by the people of the West.
Perceptions on Arab peoples indoctrinated within Orientalism shed some light on why our Lebanon and its surrounding Arab brethren are in a constant state of violence and war mongering. It explains why the Western world has exploited our sanctity and resources in favor of their national interest. Orientalism is the key to understanding how the West has managed to “divide and conquer” the peoples of the Middle East. After reading Orientalism by Edward Said, I believe that his findings are immensely significant for Arab youth today in understanding the cultural hegemony that has been imposed on our people, Lebanese and the like.
For those that have not read his work, Edward Said’s Orientalism discusses and illustrates how the identity of Orientals was, and continues to be, constructed by Western culture. A group of European scholars established the epistemological field of Orientalism and used their own perception of Arabs to build a database of “facts” on the identity and culture of Arab people. European scholars such as Renan, Chateaubriand, Sacy, Lane, among others, were well renowned “Orientalists” in the post-Enlightenment period. Some Orientalist works even date back to Dante. Edward Said depicts the relationship between ‘Oriental’ and ‘Orientalist’ incredibly when he says: “The Orient then seems to be, not an unlimited extension beyond the familiar European world, but rather a closed field, a theatrical stage affixed to Europe. An Orientalist is but the particular specialist in the knowledge for which Europe at large is responsible.” I could cite numerous examples from primary texts belonging to Orientalist scholars that form conclusions and generalizations about the Arab psyche. Said’s book is laden with such examples and I encourage this read. However, I will share one such quote by Orientalist H. R. Gibb in a lecture he gave in 1945: “The rejection of rationalist modes of thought and of the utilitarian ethic which is inseparable from [the Arab Muslims] has its roots, therefore, not in the so-called ‘obscurantism’ of the Muslim theologians but in the atomism and discreteness of the Arab imagination.” Gibb’s statement characterizes Arab Muslims as irrational and unethical, and he attributes this to the “Arab imagination.” However, it seems to me that ‘Arab imagination’ lacks scope and definition. As a civilization, we have been implicitly stereotyped by Gibb, and others: Western scholars, writers, politicians, anthropologists, sociologists. We have been stereotyped, as individuals and as nations, without giving our will or consent to these identities that have been ascribed to us. Enraging? I believe so. This ideology is what drives the Israeli occupation of the ‘crazy, rock-throwing Palestinians.’ The current Israeli invasion of Gaza is a genocide not a defense tactic! Yet, a large proportion of Western media refuses to see it as such because Palestinians, like the rest of us, are ‘unethical’ and ‘irrational.’ This ideology is what justified the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. This ideology justifies why we are seen as a democracy-ridden people, as war criminals and as suicide bombers.
Now, more disappointing than my evidence and argument above is the following. Yes, we have been ‘Orientalized’ by the West for the last few centuries and Orientalists have committed this crime against our identity. And yes, it has been a fundamental pre-text for our exploitation and suffering. However, notice that in the recent years, the practice of Orientalism by the West has become internal practice among ourselves, the Arabs, and among Lebanese citizens all the same. If you, as an Arab, felt enraged by the way Gibb portrayed our race in the quote above, you should also realize that the sectarian divisions in Lebanon today are based on the same perceptions and mode of thought that Gibb has used to identify us. Except, we have mirrored these identifications amongst ourselves; instead of basing our arguments on “Arab imagination” we base them on “Sunni,” “Shiite,” “Christian,” or “Druze” imaginations, whatever they may be. The brutal nightmare of what has come to be called ISIS is one of the greatest crimes to Muslim identity in modern times. The racist ideology created by Orientalism has, unfortunately, been impressed on us and, ironically, now we commit this crime against one another. We see this in the creation of ISIS, and in the Syrian civil war, both having direct implications on Lebanon. I recognize that the lens of Orientalism is now placed on the spectacles of the Arabs and it has placed on our people a legacy of mistrust and prejudice. As a younger generation, it should be our goal to remove these spectacles that distort the reality for peace and coexistence. I would have to agree with Said that the greatest goal would be for mankind to “not only to understand oneself but to understand oneself in relation to others and to understand others as if you would understand yourself.” As a nation we must accept this first before we make any progress towards coexistence. Perhaps an ISIS representative would call me a nonbeliever, but I would rather be a human being first than a believer of their doctrines.
N.C