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Summary Summery Introduction Asian Studies
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Summary of all lectures of Introduction to Asian Studies, including key words.
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Lecture 1 OrientalismEdward Saïd’s Orientalism (1998) was so influential that it almost looks like the foundation of
historiography about colonialism and orientalism.
What is the Orient?
1. Neighbouring Europe
2. Richest, oldest colonies of Europe
3. Source of European civilization and language (India)
4. Deepest, most recurring image of ‘the other’
What is Orientalism?
Anyone who teaches, writes about, or researches the Orient (anthropologist, sociologist,
historian or philologist) either in its specific or general aspects, is an orientalist. Orientalists
are Western-centred and are looking at the distinction between the Orient and the Occident
(west), while the idea of ‘an Orient’ and ‘and Occident’ are manmade. Orientalism is a
western style for dominating, restructuring and having authority over the orient by
describing it, teaching it, settling it and ruling over it.
Result: Western framework on the Orient to understand one other and oneself. It leads to a
lot of racism. Western world sees itself as ‘modern’ and ‘moving forward’, while the orient is
approached as ‘non-modern’ and ‘left behind in the past.’
Critiques on Saïd’s Orientalism
o Text-centred research.
o Lacks sufficient attention to historical context and change over time.
o Orientalism is not only western. Still insufficiently aware of the active role of non-
western people.
o Where does nationalism come from? How does it interact with Orientalism? This is
not discussed.
According to Dirlik: Orientalism and nationalism is a product of an encounter
between Europeans and non-Europeans in contact zones; domination,
mediation and exchange.
Key concepts
1. Discourse (Michel Foucault):
The enormous systematic discipline by which European culture was able to
produce the Orient politically, sociologically, militarily, scientifically and
imaginatively.
Systems and thoughts composed systematically that construct the subjects and
the worlds of which they speak.
2. Modernity, Enlightenment and biopower (Michel Foucault)
In the eyes of Foucault, modernity is inseparable from the development of new
cultural technologies in order to control and dominate human population.
Social statistics, public health measures, urban planning are examples of how the
‘modern state’ sought to exercise power. These examples are called ‘bio-power’.
,3. Power imbalance
Orient seen as a woman that is spoken for, represented for and possessed by (the
West)
4. Cultural Hegemony (Gramsci)
Cultural dominance by force and consent
Some cultural ideas are more influential than others. This cultural leadership is
called hegemony.
5. Intertextuality
The interactive effects of texts
How texts stand in relation to one other, to produce a meaning.
Interpretation is shaped by the text, the reader, writing, printing, publishing and
history. The history of the text and readers readings before combined together
within a new relation, is called intertextuality.
6. Reflexivity
Orientalism is us. In studying the Orient, we are also defining ourselves, as a
contrasting image.
European culture gained in strength and identity by setting itself off against the
Orient.
7. Mutual imbrication (Burke and Prochaska)
Mutual overlap between, for example, nationalism and orientalism.
8. Fragility or heterogeneity (Burke and Prochaska)
Thinness of identities and culture
, Lecture 2 Race and Power
Idea of race as we know it today is quite modern. It has a deep connection with modern
slavery, colonialism and the nation-state. Nowadays there is a complex relation to ethnicity
and nationality.
Concept of race:
o Inborn, unchanging, biological qualities
o Associations with ‘blood’, skin colour, facial features and character.
Idea about certain race can be fluid. Interpretation on certain racial groups
very affected by the portrayal of them within Hollywood movies. The ‘white
guy’ often portrayed as the hero, while ‘the orient’ are portrayed as ‘weird’,
‘bad’ and ‘mysterious’.
‘Race’ is the projection of an essential identity upon an imagined group of people. Race
doesn’t exist by itself but is imposed by the viewer. Specially because boundaries between
races can never be definite or precise.
People have always found a way to discriminate, but the idea of racism is very modern. It
appeared around the late 18th, early 19th century. The power of the west, the colonial
regime, western science (ex. Darwin and Darwinism) made racism rise.
Change of hierarchy
Societal change in which ‘class’ was replaced by ‘race’ within the hierarchical structures. So,
modern liberalism and nationalism went hand in hand with the belief in natural social
hierarchy.
Pre 19th century worldview
o Class as an identity triumph card
o Level of nobility is what defines you
o Ruling alliances formed across geographical borders
As David Dannadine argues in his book ‘Ornamentalism’, (about British perceptions of the
British empire): class, rank and status were more important to the British empire than race
This idea is closely connected to the Christian bible.
Christians believe in a common genesis of all mankind (Adam and Eve). In studying
‘the other’ they seek traces of the origins of this shared genesis.
Language studies to a Euro-Indian language that is older than the tower of
Babel
Mesopotamia seen as humanities home.
Skin colour seen as a sign of climate.
Worldview after 19th century Enlightenment
o Liberté, egalité, fraternité
o Modern nationalism
o Modern liberalism
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