Friday, May 8, 2009
Occidentalism
I think it is interesting to read and speak about Occidentalism. As Americans we are interested in seeing how we view the other, and attempt to investigate why we feel this way. In reality Occidentalism is more important for Americans because it helps explain our relations with the Middle East. Although we may sometimes not realize this, our President, our actresses, our clothing, and other pop culture type aspects of American life are what develop how people throughout the world percieve us. Americans need to come to the realization that the "American way of life" is not neccesarily the correct way of living or how other people would like to live. The study of Orientalism can not be valid without the study of Occidentalism, or else you are simply choosing the other's perception as different, and not admitting that you yourself may feel a certain way towards a culture.
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Occidentalism is best understood as the sterotypes held by non-occidentals about occidentals. To the extent the Middle East and Far West share the general idea of monotheism and chess (as opposed to what japanese call go), both are on the West and the East a different thing altogether. In fact, one can see the so-called Jihad as a civil war in the Occident of which the "Middle East" is a part. Check out my book Occidentalism & Orientalism to get a broader picture of the world!
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