One or More Cultures?

WHAT: In the writing, Orientalism, by Edward Said, he argues that Orientalism is the product of inaccurate interpretations of the Middle East stemmed from Western culture. Edward Said writes of three different definitions of Orientalism in his writing. The first one is, “Orientalism is less preferred by specialists today, both because it is too vague and general and because it connotes the high-handed executive attitude of nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century European colonialism” (Said 2). This definition means that white European people would go to third-world countries to study the different cultures and come back to their hometown to teach what they learned. These men would view the people of these third-world countries as “outsiders,” since they believed that Europe was the standard.

Said’s second definition of Orientalism is “based upon an ontological and epistemological distinction made between ‘the Orient’ and ‘the Occident’” (Said). This definition tells of how Occidentalism is put against the Orient, which allows others to the thinking for someone. The last definition Said writes of Orientalism is “something more historically and materially defined than either of the other two… in short, Orientalism is a Western style for dominating, restructuring and having authority of the Orient” (Said). This definition tells that power and authority can create discourse. Discourse is a form of power and oppression because it can cause one group to be empowered over another. I think that discourse can determine what is said or thought about the Orient because one’s view and impression on another person can change his or her views.

SO WHAT: Huntington’s view on the Orient is that there is no universal civilization, but different civilizations and cultures. Each of those civilizations have different cultures; cultures meaning they have their own set of values, traditions and beliefs. Some civilizations try and become like the West, but other civilizations try to continue their own cultures and traditions. He writes, “As the West attempts to assert its values and to protect its interests, non-Western societies confront a choice. Some attempt to emulate the West and to join or to band-wagon with the West” (Huntington). Huntington writes of the Islamic culture and how they are different. He writes that the Islamic people are not trying to be a part of the universal Western culture, but they are trying to bring their culture to other places to expand their civilization. Huntington also writes, “The major differences in political and economic development among civilizations are clearly rooted in their different cultures” (Huntington). This argues that people can change and their cultures can change, but the different cultures are what create the foundation for the development of new civilizations.

Ultimately, Huntington creates a clear distinction between different cultures while Said creates a more black and white picture of cultures. Said shows that the Eastern side of the world is the “Orient” and the Western side is the “West.” Huntington shows that there are many different cultures that are being expressed over the world, not just the Orients and the Westerners.

NOW WHAT: An example of “othering” discourse in the news today is the discourse placed on the Hispanic culture. Donald Trump has been driven to expel Hispanic immigrants from the United States. He’s talked about deporting them and building a wall to keep them from crossing the border into the United States. He creates a discourse on these people solely due to their ethnicity and his personal racism toward them. He instills an unimaginable fear into these innocent people and causes them to live in the shadows to disappear and not be found by ICE. This applies to the people at my community partner since almost every patient that comes into the Rotacare clinic are from Hispanic descent. This discourse is central to the structural inequalities that people at Rotacare must confront since Rotacare does provide essential and quality healthcare to uninsured, underrepresented, undocumented and low-paid individuals in the community. I think that Rotacare does an amazing job at creating a safe, judgment-free place for these innocent individuals to seek proper healthcare and support.