Orientalism/Occidentalism

Orientalism and Occidentalism are interrelated concepts. Orientalism is defined in three keys ways: (i) as a study of “the Orient”; (ii) as a cultural and aesthetic concern with “the Orient”; and (iii) as a critical approach to understanding the construction of “the Orient” by European and American cultural authorities. Current geographical works have focused largely on the third. Defined in a critical way, Orientalism is also an idealized European vision that consisted of a long-lasting collection of theory and practices with an elaborate material setup. Occidentalism, the calculated construction of “the West” or “the Occident” as a unified entity, is an inversion of the Western imaginary, a counterdiscourse to Orientalism, and a stage for thinking about and realizing alternative or new approaches. These definitions differ in terms of their recognition of the strength and durability of Western imperialism in orchestrating Orientalism