Revealing the Truths and Fallacies of Orientalism through Sahar Khalifeh's Wild Thorns

Presentation Type

Oral and/or Visual Presentation

Presenter Major(s)

Health Professions

Mentor Information

Coeli Fitzpatrick, fitzpaco@gvsu.edu

Department

Philosophy

Location

Kirkhof Center 2216

Start Date

13-4-2011 2:00 PM

End Date

13-4-2011 2:30 PM

Keywords

Changing Ideas/Changing Worlds, Culture

Abstract

Palestinian-American author Edward Said is famous for documenting the phenomenon he calls Orientalism, in which he describes the demeaning perception that the West holds of the East. Perpetuated through much of western material culture, this orientalist perception stigmatizes the East with negative stereotypes, transforming the Orient into an inferior region. This substandard representation acts as the foundation for the relationship between the Occident and the Orient, and allows the West's continued domination over the East. According to Said, this hierarchical relationship will remain until individuals write back to this orientalist perception and reveal other aspects of eastern culture. Accordingly, Palestinian writer Sahar Khalifeh follows Saidian theory in her novel, Wild Thorns, as she takes what Said calls the voyage in and writes back to this orientalist perception, depicting the complexities of eastern society through her main characters Usama and Adil.

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Apr 13th, 2:00 PM Apr 13th, 2:30 PM

Revealing the Truths and Fallacies of Orientalism through Sahar Khalifeh's Wild Thorns

Kirkhof Center 2216

Palestinian-American author Edward Said is famous for documenting the phenomenon he calls Orientalism, in which he describes the demeaning perception that the West holds of the East. Perpetuated through much of western material culture, this orientalist perception stigmatizes the East with negative stereotypes, transforming the Orient into an inferior region. This substandard representation acts as the foundation for the relationship between the Occident and the Orient, and allows the West's continued domination over the East. According to Said, this hierarchical relationship will remain until individuals write back to this orientalist perception and reveal other aspects of eastern culture. Accordingly, Palestinian writer Sahar Khalifeh follows Saidian theory in her novel, Wild Thorns, as she takes what Said calls the voyage in and writes back to this orientalist perception, depicting the complexities of eastern society through her main characters Usama and Adil.