Orientalism by Edward W. Said

     I had heard about this book, almost all very negative, so I started being very skeptical. At first I thought he was pedantic and I sniffed out anything that was in the slightest post-modern. About a third of the way through he specifically defined Orientalism, which I should have already understood, but it helped me understand. Gradually I began to be persuaded that Orientalists were describing from their worldview and they were not "listening." In coming into contact with the "other" it is understandable to have some "unease" but it seems appropriate to avoid a "rush to judgment" without some self-reflection and self-awareness. Some of Said's examples are flagrant bigotry by well-known scholars.

    This is as everyone knows an important, indeed seminal, book. The edition I read had an afterward by the author 25 years after the original edition. He deals with some of the misunderstandings of the book, which really helped my understanding. Some of these "misunderstandings" seemed badly motivated, almost intentional, which may account for my initial misgivings starting the book.

    Long after this book appeared, we are faced still with Islam, colonialsim, racism, oppression. As Said tells us, these involve real people.