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Orientalism: Western Conceptions of the Orient (Penguin History)
 
 
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Orientalism: Western Conceptions of the Orient (Penguin History) (Paperback)

by Edward W. Said (Author) "On June 13, 1910, Arthur James Balfour lectured the House of Commons on "the problems with which we have to deal in Egypt ..." (more)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 396 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (23 Feb 1995)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140238670
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140238679
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 3.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 357,285 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  • See Complete Table of Contents

Product Description

Product Description

Providing an overview of western attitudes towards the East, this book sets out to challenge established western views of the Orient and of the Arab and Islamic world.
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On June 13, 1910, Arthur James Balfour lectured the House of Commons on "the problems with which we have to deal in Egypt." Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews
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3.8 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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57 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An utterly outstanding book that demands reading, 14 Jan 2005
By A Customer
This review is from: Orientalism: Western Conceptions of the Orient (Penguin Modern Classics) (Paperback)
Few works are more deserving of the 'Modern Classic' label that Penguin has given this book. Perhaps it is only after nearly twenty year since its first publication that we are able to appreciate the prophetic and uniquely influential nature of Said's insights into the roots of the 'West's' antagonism towards the 'Orient'. For what is, in effect, little more than a book of literary criticism, the ramifications for all areas of scholarly research and investigation are remarkable. On a personal level it is a book that has profoundly affected both my political and academic outlook and forced a re-evaluation of my attitudes (and not just towards the Middle-East) and, more significantly, the underlying deceits or conspiracies of history on which they are founded. I urge every person in a position of power to study this canonical work. That it is hard reading does not detract from but adds to the power of the work; at every moment Said's intimidating (but inspiringly humanistic and humane) scholarship is in evidence and one can only marvel at his analytical dexterity. Those who see the book as repetative and hypocritically reductive have failed to grasp the true substance which is in the criticism and not primarily in the conclusions which are, for the most part, self-evident, as Said himself declares from the outset.
There will, I am sure, continue be numerous wilful misreadings of 'Orientalism' and that it continues to provoke such controversy is a testament to its brilliance. Ignore them and read it.
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15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A classic text, should be studied by all serious scholars, 20 May 1997
By A Customer
This review is from: Orientalism (Paperback)
This is an academic work, not for everyone's interests ortastes. But still it is a revolutionary look at how Western scholarship "invented" the Orient from its own political and psychological needs to create a dehumanized "Other". Few books explain so well the intellectual origins of popular and academic stereotypes of the Middle East. Few books explain so well the failure of Western academics to accurately study other cultures in a useful way conducive to mutual understanding.
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20 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The other side of anti-Semitism, 16 Oct 1997
By A Customer
This review is from: Orientalism (Paperback)
The phenomenon Edward Said describes in his book is the anti-Arab and anti-Muslim traditions in society and literature. "Orientalism" is a term that describes a "discourse", a school of thought. And like anti-Semtism, which was one part of Orientalist prejudice in the 19th century, the discourse of anti-Muslim anti-Arab prejudice has a long and powerful history. Regrettably it infects leading scholars of the Middle East like Bernard Lewis. Said deserves credit for putting it all together. Although he is a harsh critic of Western imperialism and Israeli and American power in the Middle East, he hardly manifests racism towards any group.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Few books are as vital as this one for understanding politics today.
I don't think that there is a lot to add to the reviews which praise this book.

How 'The West' sees others, especially Islam and Muslims, is so central to current... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Germinal

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute classic
Read to get an in depth idea of why we are where we are in the "Middle East"
Published 7 months ago by M. S. Kennedy

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but....
The book is good I suppose. After all a classic. A standard work.

But it's seventies writing: superfluous, too elaborate, tiresome. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Staffhorst

5.0 out of 5 stars A Stunning Monument To Engaged Scholarship
A stunningly accomplished attack on Orientalism in all its guises. Said's richly detailed and politically charged break-through work has been subject to countless misreadings,... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Pablo K

4.0 out of 5 stars It's about the Truth
I don't know much about "Orient" or "Orientalism" and after all this book is not about what I thought it would be but as a History undergraduate student I found this book very... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Iglica

1.0 out of 5 stars Utter Drivel
I do not know how Americans view Islam but as an Englishman/European it seems to me that Said's views are so much poppycock. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Mr. N. Bonsor

2.0 out of 5 stars Said too much..?
Drawing upon the work of Michel Foucault, Edward Said claims that Western ideas of the `Orient' are not based upon objective facts but are created through academic and cultural... Read more
Published 21 months ago by D. J. Forbes

1.0 out of 5 stars Well past its sell-by date
Books, however good or bad they are, can gather a momentum of their own once they become best-sellers. So it is with Orientalism. Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2006 by D. Pavett

2.0 out of 5 stars Thick book, little substance
It is easy to become acquainted with Said's overall perspective. He merely argues, in the manner of Foucault, that what Westerners call the "Orient" is little more than the... Read more
Published on 23 Sep 2004 by Mr. Daniel Miller

4.0 out of 5 stars Important look at the West through how we look at the East
Public opinion has gone in and out like the tides on Said's book since I first read it five odd years ago. Read more
Published on 12 Nov 2002 by Earl Hazell

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