Edward said on 'Orientalism

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This task related to Edward said on 'Orientalism' this task given by Dr. Dilip Barad sir head of department of English MKBU.

1. Write brief summary of said' s interview, 

2.   On understanding Israel- Palestinian issue

Orientalism is a 1978 book by Edward W. Said, in which the author establishes the eponymous term "Orientalism" as a critical concept to describe the West's common, contemptuous depiction and portrayal of "The East," i.e. the Orient. Societies and peoples of the Orient are those who inhabit the places of Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. Said argues that Orientalism, in the sense of the Western scholarship about the Eastern World, is inextricably tied to the imperialist societies who produced it, which makes much Orientalist work inherently political and servile to power.

1. Write brief summary of said' s interview

Close your eyes and think of Medieval Europe. You see knights jousting, great feasts, and even greater castles. Now think of the Middle East during the same time period. Remember, this was the time of the 'Arabian Nights.' Chances are you aren't thinking of massive castles and feasts. Instead, for many people, overly-romantic images of trading posts with camels, pushy merchants, and monkeys. In fact, you may have even went as far as to think of belly dancers!

According to Palestinian literary historian and theorist Edward Said, your whole approach to imagining the ancient Middle East is biased. After all, the Middle East built many castles and actually surpassed Europe in every intellectual field, yet most Westerners immediately go to tamed monkeys and belly dancers. This bias was called Orientalism. Orientalism was also the book of the same name, which studied and criticized the fields that had already been studying anything related to the Middle East, and, to a lesser degree, South Asia.

Edward Said was proud of the achievements of those from the lands of his ancestors, and felt that while it was bad enough for the everyday person in the West to think of belly dancers and squeaking monkeys when they thought of places like Baghdad or Cairo, it was a completely different thing for the so-called experts to have any of that in their minds. Said never denied that those things existed, but instead argued that too much of a big deal was made about them.

What is Orientalism ?:-

https://blog.dilipbarad.com/2016/07/edward-said-on-orientalism.html?m=1

            "Orientalism” is a way of seeing that imagines, emphasizes, exaggerates and distorts differences of Arab peoples and cultures as compared to that of Europe and the U.S. It often involves seeing Arab culture as exotic, backward, uncivilized, and at times dangerous. Edward W. Said, in his groundbreaking book, Orientalism, defined it as the acceptance in the West of “the basic distinction between East and West as the starting point for elaborate theories, epics, novels, social descriptions, and political accounts concerning the Orient, its people, customs, ‘mind,’ destiny and so on.”

Edward Said:-

 'Edward Said' was born in 1, November, 1935 and died in 25 September,2003 at New York. He was professor in Columbia University. He was well known for Occidental-ism and Orientalism. Here this task given by Prof. Dilip Barad Sir. Into this task given various concepts which about Edward Said's interview on Orientalism.

2)  On understanding Israel- Palestinian issue

     Israel-Palestine issue:-

                            Said grew up in what was then called Palestine and is now called Israel and the Occupied Territories. Said explains about Palestinian’s local complexities and about mixed backgrounds of Arabs and Jews, Arab Muslims and Arab Christians and Israeli Jews. Palestinians, still, is under constant threat of Israel. MAny a times in the interview video, Said's refers to Palastine and to Palastine issue. So, let us know it in brief.

                    The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing struggle between Israelis and Palestinians that began in the mid-20th century. Various attempts have been made to resolve the conflict as part of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process. 

The ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has killed and wounded many people. It has done even graver damage to the humane principles at the heart of both Judaism and Islam. Among Jews and Muslims in Israel and Palestine the golden rule has been largely forgotten.

References:-

1) http://arabstereotypes.org/why-stereotypes/what-orientalism