autonomy of its own self-representation. Said emphasises that the Orient exists
as the West knows it, which links with the second central idea of the chapter:
Orientalist accounts do not represent an objective reality of the Orient.
Influenced by Foucault’s concept of discourse, Said further argues that
Orientalist accounts produce a reality and thus the imagined divisions of East
and West led to smaller divisions used by Western accounts to reinforce the
West’s image in relation to the Orient. Another section – ‘projects’ – focuses on
the materialisation of the West’s approach onto the Orient. The power produced
by the knowledge in Western discourse ultimately allowed colonial powers to
invade and ultimately dominate the Orient. Here Said intends to emphasise that
the conquest of the Orient was based off of false pretences that were ‘put
directly to functional colonial use’ (p. 80).
A compelling part of Orientalism is its lasting relevance in contemporary
times. Despite Said’s extensive use of historical texts in the first chapter, his
argument remains relevant to the modern reader, who is reminded of
representations of the Orient particularly in the news industry, media and pop
culture. An example of the Orient in pop culture that is increasingly cited is
Disney’s Aladdin, where the main character wears a Turkish Fez and the princess
wears Indian style shoes (Beviano, 2023). This process of merging cultures
together reinforces a false image of the Orient that is still deeply ingrained in
modern Western representations. To exemplify instances of the merging of
cultures to produce an image of the Orient, Said offers a convincing analogy –
The ‘Orientalist stage’ – which understands the representation of the Orient as
something theatrical. The Orientalist stage functions with characters that exist
only to fulfil this representation. Said makes a point for his reader to understand
Orientalism as something and exaggerated, and like a play its existence is only
truly real in its portrayal. The purpose of the analogy is to undermine the idea
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