The upside of Orientalism

This thesis concerns itself with the visual representations of Japan, in opera, photography, deepen the comprehension of the West???s understandings of Japanese culture. It unfolds as it chronologically interprets the image of Japan in political contexts, while analyzing how Japan???s relationship with the US/Europe is reflected in the arenas of Orientalism, Techno-Orientalism and Neo Techno-Orientalism. Although Orientalism has been\ud considered as a concept which maintains Western superiority over the East, the objective\ud of this thesis is to divert the ways in which this theory is understood, seeking instead the\ud beneficial use of this biased view of Japan, held by Westerners, in the nation???s interest.\ud Ultimately, it draws attention to Japan???s potential soft power obtained by the active use of\ud the West???s Orientalist perception, and urges its nation to incorporate it into their national\ud branding