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"'An Important book... brilliantly done.' George Walden, Daily Mail Critics' Cholce; 'Ambitious and impressive... A fine book.' Philip Bobbitt, New York Times; 'Illuminating... Succinct, elegant and challenging.' Economist; 'Groundbreaking... It is hard to imagine the reader who will not learn something from this book.' Robert Irwin, Independent"
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'Occidentalism' is an investigation into the hostile stereotypes of the Western world that fuels the hatred at the heart of movements such as Al Qaeda. A work of extraordinary range and erudition, it enlarges significantly our understanding of the world in which we live.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a short well written book by, as far as I can tell, two academics, one American and one Israeli. They define their subject like this. "Occidentalism can be seen as the expression of a bitter resentment toward an offensive display of superiority by the West, based on the alleged superiority of reason.' They say, " More corrosive even than military imperialism is the imperialism of the mind imposed by spreading the western belief in scientism, the faith in science as the only way to gain knowledge." p.95.
They start with a meeting of Japanese scholars in 1942 asking how to overcome the modern. The modern is typified by the city, materialism, individualism and immorality. The history of the city as whore is discussed. Individualism is blamed on the West's reformation heritage. From Romanticism's rejection of Enlightenment rationalism we are shown how other cultures have emphasised the reason of heart not head and the importance of community. We are given a link from Romanticism to Islamism, even via Russian Orthodoxy and Marxism. It is a fascinating journey. the West is hated out of envy but more than envy too.
The authors are understanding of Islam showing suicide bombing as a recent innovation condemned by main stream Islam. Islam must deal with Islamists, but one wonders if this is any more than a hope. I wonder if they do give enough weight to the mainstream theology that says Islam must rule and all the world submit. The unique thing about the Islamists seems to me to be their methods of achieving this alone.
I recommend this book as helping us to see ourselves as others see us. Zealous Christians will be just as critical of the West's rationalism, materialism, individualism, exploitation and sexual immorality just like any Occidentalist.
They start with a meeting of Japanese scholars in 1942 asking how to overcome the modern. The modern is typified by the city, materialism, individualism and immorality. The history of the city as whore is discussed. Individualism is blamed on the West's reformation heritage. From Romanticism's rejection of Enlightenment rationalism we are shown how other cultures have emphasised the reason of heart not head and the importance of community. We are given a link from Romanticism to Islamism, even via Russian Orthodoxy and Marxism. It is a fascinating journey. the West is hated out of envy but more than envy too.
The authors are understanding of Islam showing suicide bombing as a recent innovation condemned by main stream Islam. Islam must deal with Islamists, but one wonders if this is any more than a hope. I wonder if they do give enough weight to the mainstream theology that says Islam must rule and all the world submit. The unique thing about the Islamists seems to me to be their methods of achieving this alone.
I recommend this book as helping us to see ourselves as others see us. Zealous Christians will be just as critical of the West's rationalism, materialism, individualism, exploitation and sexual immorality just like any Occidentalist.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book explores how various cultures outside the West have adopted anti-Western views throughout history, with particular focus on Japan during World War II and the modern Islamic world. The authors examine how the West is both demonised and begrudgingly admired at the same time: whilst Western culture is viewed as crude, one dimensional and harmful to traditional values, Western techology and might are vast, and are thus desired. As a result, even the most violently anti-Western cultures felt they had no choice but to copy Western technology in order to "catch up" with the West, whilst simultaneously hoping that they would not internalise Western beliefs behind this technology too much in the process.
The authors also look at how poeple in the non-Western world are often divided into two camps: reformers, who advocate the whole scale adoption of Western values and and practices even if this means abandoning certain traditional values in the process. On the other hand are nativists, who utterly reject the notion that Western values should be emulated in any way, and instead believe that a puritanical "return to the past" is needed to immunise the people from being seduced by the West. The Shah of Iran is given as an example of the former, whilst Islamic revolutionaries are given as an example of the latter.
The authors also note that some cultures can do both relatively well. The Japanese for example successfully built Western industry and military hardware, whilst simultaneously retaining the Samurai Bushido code that drove the Kamikazes. In other words "West for technology and military, our own culture for spiritual and moral guidance". A similar attitude is felt in the Muslim world today.
The book does not have any major weaknesses, but is rather brief, and I felt there was a lot more they could have said. It may also require a slightly more than casual knowledge of C20th history, as there are some concepts and developments that are written of in such a way a knowledge of them is needed to fully appreciate the points the authors are making.
All in all a good effort, which will be enjoyed by most.
The authors also look at how poeple in the non-Western world are often divided into two camps: reformers, who advocate the whole scale adoption of Western values and and practices even if this means abandoning certain traditional values in the process. On the other hand are nativists, who utterly reject the notion that Western values should be emulated in any way, and instead believe that a puritanical "return to the past" is needed to immunise the people from being seduced by the West. The Shah of Iran is given as an example of the former, whilst Islamic revolutionaries are given as an example of the latter.
The authors also note that some cultures can do both relatively well. The Japanese for example successfully built Western industry and military hardware, whilst simultaneously retaining the Samurai Bushido code that drove the Kamikazes. In other words "West for technology and military, our own culture for spiritual and moral guidance". A similar attitude is felt in the Muslim world today.
The book does not have any major weaknesses, but is rather brief, and I felt there was a lot more they could have said. It may also require a slightly more than casual knowledge of C20th history, as there are some concepts and developments that are written of in such a way a knowledge of them is needed to fully appreciate the points the authors are making.
All in all a good effort, which will be enjoyed by most.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A remarkable book by Ian Buruma and Avishai Margalit, written so that it can be appreciated by the academic and the layman which is not an easy thing to acommplish. This book is compelling reading and clarifies the dichotomy between Western and Anti-Western culture. It explains how the Occidentalism of present day Islamic radicalism and Islamic fundementalism have merged to form a cogent philosophy. However, the book goes a stage further by examining the hubris of Occidentalism in other cultures. Buruma and Margalit show that the roots of Occidentalism lie in the age old war of the nation state controlled by religion versus secularization, and agrarianism versus industry, with the city as the repository of all evil.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
biased
i dont have strong opinions on the subject of the book, which maybe makes it easier to detect the rather subtle bias that runs throughout the text. Read more
Published on 17 May 2010 by cartman
Superficial
Occidentalism as defined by the authors is the dehumanizing picture of the West painted by its enemies (Islam, Japan before WW II). Read more
Published on 29 Aug 2008 by Luc REYNAERT
A must for the shelf.
I recieved this book today, and during my lunch break crammed in the first chapter before running back to my desk 8 minutes late! Im captivated.
Published on 17 Dec 2007 by Mr. S. O. Donnell
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