Orientalism Flashcards
Edward Said and Orientalism
• Edward Said and Orientalism
♣ Orientalism 1978
♣ Orientalism is a field of study, however Edward said raised the issue on whether the orient studied from Europe is an objective representation of the actual orient
♣ Edward said argues that it isnt and that the identity given to the orient is an identity greatly influenced by the European history and literature
• Iliad – omero - hostile other world beyond the sea, loser in contraposition to europe
• Dante – mohammed in the 8th circle of hell, 10th bolge of the malebolge – seminator of scandalo e scisma
♣ Importance of discourse essential to how me make sense to the world
• Order statements and concepts
• Necessary for justification
• Not neutral all terms can have a political implication
• Produces meaning of us/them
Orientalism and Defining the state
o orientalism changed the way the state is seen as it is regarded in relation to the other turkey – EU
♣ it increases the sovereignty of the state as it increases the loyalty of its citizens to it considering that the outside is dangerous
♣ state always changes, its not fixed when the outside changes the inside does too
♣ state seen in regard of the other hence in a social context in which realism is undermined
Postructuralism on defing the state
♣ Walker: state is just a way to organise a political community
• E.g. after the breakdown of Yugoslavia in 1991 new states were formed to organise the political community Inside-out distinction - postructuralist
♣ State isnt a unit that has the same essence in time and space
• Before french revolution: both political and religious authority + hierarchical submission, you have a certain place in the community and dependent on it you have different right POST = rights and = status
♣ Inside – order and loyalty
♣ Outside: conflict and oppression
Neumann on defining the state
o Neumann – English school
♣ Four paths of identity formation
1. Ethnographic – identity created by focusing on the difference between two groups – diacritics
2. Psychologyical path – you self categorise in one of the two groups
3. Continental philosophy – goal of fulfilness presentation of self depends on what goal you have
4. Easter European path – identity created through the dialogue with the other which makes you reflect on yourself and the other allowing self-definition
security and orientalism
• orientalism has modified the way in which security is seen as it is believed to be simply a way to establish identity rather than deliver human rights and protect that population
–> realist?
campbell on security (2)
• Campbell: Danger is not an objective condition
1. Dependent on those to whom it may become a threat
♣ E.g. when George bush was delivering the axis of evil speech in 2002 when didn’t even nominate allies and many western countries actually questioned whether Iraq had any relations with terrorism
• Considered by America and by bush a threat invaded in 2003 under operation red dawn
♣ seen how the threat is in relation to who is threatened
2. security is just a way to create us and them through
o borders and discriminatory agreements
♣ berlin wall in 1961
♣ nato agreements doesn’t refer to the ussr as it was already given that the ‘other’ was them
• belief of your ‘group’ being superior - shows how powerful the concept of identities are.
shapiro on security (4)
• Shapiro: War considered as an ontological phenomenon
o Reproduction of virtuous self
o Way to re-establish this superiority
• War = group activity and collective involvement spreads the burden of responsibility and reduces sense of morality
o Usa war in Vietnam in 1961/4 was done in a situation in which the usa was trying to establish its power and superiority over the soviet union hence decided to join the Vietnam war with no interest in Vietnam itself
foreign policy and orientalism (6)
o orientalism impated foreign policies as it gave a new way of seeing it
o not based on realism and national interest
o or through constructivism and shared values and goals
o but through identity and how one wants to build up their and the other identity
♣ want to make it a threat or a friend
♣ want alliance or war etc.
o Constitute identity through the construction of threats, danger and challenges
Produce a particular understanding of the state
Campbell and foreign policy
o Campbell
o Foreign Policy: policies undertaken by states in the international arena
o foreign policy: discursive practices that constitute something as foreign in relation to the self
♣ within and outside the state
• e.g. gender and sexual realtions
o women are unfit for military is just in relation to men
o homosexual are aliens to the state, however sexual desire is an objective thing that has always happened but through discourse, the difference between heterosexual and homosexual was raised
o complex identity constellation several others
♣ involve several others
♣ e.g. bosnia-herzegovina ethnic war 1991
• bosnic muslims
• serbs government Milosevic
o one was a threat, one was what had to be protected
o identity and fp are performative and mutually exclusive
♣ the discourse of fp create idenities but idenitites creat fp
• e.g. turkey not accept in the eu
o identity of eu is built in relation to turkey
♣ white, western and catholic
o eu identity already created in other contexts which leads to the denounce of turkey
