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“The Orient was almost a European invention, and had been since antiquity a place of romance, exotic beings, haunting memories and landscapes, remarkable experiences”1
According to Edward Said, Orientalism is a socially constructed term referring to the genre of Western art and literature considered “characteristic” of the nineteenth century, depicting the lands of the expansive “orient” for a Western audience’s gaze, often playing into their own prejudices and preconceptions. Essentially the term for Edward Said is representative of the West’s power and dominance in attempting to define and categorize the authenticity of the East.
Why Photography?
- Edward Said. “Introduction.” Orientalism. New York: Vero, 1979: pp 1-30. ↩