A cornerstone of post-colonial studies, Orientalism is a powerful deconstruction of the so-called orient-versus-occident distinction. In a brilliantly interdisciplinary study, blending elements of post-structuralist philosophy with literary criticism and cultural studies, Said developed an analysis of the historical process of ‘Western’ cultural imperialism and its discursive construction of ‘The East’ - designating the societies and cultures of Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East - in terms of radical ‘Otherness’ and inferiority, a hegemonic strategy that served, and continues to serve, to validate and perpetuate ‘Western’ power.
The book has been influential and controversial in equal measure, but remains a fundamental reference point for all debate concerning the cultural politics of post-coloniality.
