Orientalism and Post-Colonial Theory :: Essays Papers

Orientalism and Post-Colonial Theory Fitting Said’s vision of Orientalism into post colonial theory is a fluid meeting of social discourse. As post colonial theory demands a â€Å"constant redefinition of both â€Å"politics† and â€Å"culture† in a rapidly globalizing world,† Said also questions how cultural power and privilege determines modern identity (Nealon and Giroux, 149). Said’s dialogue of â€Å"Oritentalism† demands a new look at history and the colonial processes imprinted upon so many peoples. It opens and engages discourses of racism and socio-economic inequality, and intrinsically asks how post-colonial theory translates into our lives today. Recasting human identity using new conceptions of historical and modern communities of â€Å" â€Å"us† Europeans against â€Å"those† non-Europeans,† Said challenges European versions of history and authority of knowledge (Said, 7). The pursuit of a more complete understanding of howâ€Å" â€Å"our† world† and the â€Å"other† are connected requires a challenge to the referential power of European historical texts and its â€Å"exteriority to what it describes† (Said, 20). Deep â€Å"analysis of postcolonial relations is necessary† within all bodies of academic thought (Nealon and Giroux, 142), Said contends; even the study of English literature is rooted in colonial purposes of assimilation and control (Said, 145). How we conceptualize ourselves extends beyond scholarly print to other modes of experience and the everyday assumptions of our culture about the â€Å"other.† If â€Å"politics and culture work in collusion† (Nealon and Giroux, 142), it is in this interface that social identity finds root and means for change. Post colonial theory realizes the socio-economic inequality of nations and peoples as consequence of colonial systems, and attends to the question of how cultures maintain autonomy when modern media and military forces â€Å"divide world in ways astoundingly similar to the era of colonialism† (Nealon and Giroux150).