Answer to Question #98453 in History for Ash

Question

Topic is Orientalism: then and now...

What do you think about Said's theory? Considering examples such as the movies: Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Wind and the Lion (1975), Indiana Jones (1981), and many others, do you think Said's argument still holds? Do you think that there also is an "Occidentalism" (here meaning a specific way that the Middle Easterners have viewed the West) that no one has really addressed yet?

Bring in specific examples from the video(s), or add your own examples of movies you have seen that are similar to engage your classmates in the discussion and avoid generalized statements.

Answer 1

Said's Theory employs Orientalism to mean the way that people in Western cultures imagine and interpret the differences between themselves and people of Eastern cultures. For example, Lawrence of Arabia shows  he is a symbol of the human essence, capable of changing his attitude, words and positions in order to fulfill either an expectation.