The Myths of Orientalism

di Zahir Allalouche (Autore)

Zahir Allalouche, 2025

DESCRIPTION "The Myths of Orientalism" is an essay that sets out to dismantle, with lucid rigor and a sensitive touch, the illusions accumulated by centuries of Western representations of the Orient. The author pursues a twofold approach: the deconstruction of clichés and the rehabilitation of dialogue between civilizations. The book begins with a fundamental observation: the Orient as described by Europe never truly existed. What was called "the Orient" was less a geographical reality than a cultural projection—a mirror in which the West contemplated its own fantasies, fears, and ideals. From this projection emerged a vast system of thought and domination: Orientalism. It fueled the arts, literature, scholarly research, and imperial policies, while forging a European identity in opposition to an "other" imagined as mystical, archaic, or sensual. The book does not simply reiterate Edward Said's thesis. It expands upon it by exploring the **myths** themselves: those collective narratives that have shaped the Western imagination and continue, in more subtle forms, to influence contemporary discourse. Through ten myths—the frozen Orient, the veiled and submissive woman, the harem, Ottoman barbarity, the clash of civilizations, among others—the book examines the origins, functions, and persistence of these biased visions. But the approach is not accusatory: it is intended to be **critical and dialogical**. The author reminds us that Orientalism was also the product of a sincere curiosity, a desire for the unknown, sometimes naive but fruitful. By tracing the intellectual, artistic, and scientific exchanges that linked East and West—from Baghdad to Cordoba, from Istanbul to Paris—he shows that these two worlds were never separate, but constantly intertwined. The conclusion brings the reader back to a powerful idea: **the Orient was not a mirage, but a mirror. ** Understanding Orientalism means learning to see ourselves differently, to discern in our own representations the traces of our power dynamics and our desires for identity. Deconstructing these myths is not about denying the fascination they have inspired, but about rediscovering the complexity of reality and the richness of human connections. This work follows in the tradition of major postcolonial thought, while offering a more nuanced, almost poetic approach: it invites us less to condemn than to understand, less to oppose than to connect.

• Autore: Zahir Allalouche
• Anno edizione: 2025
• Editore: Zahir Allalouche
• Formato: EPUB2 con DRMFREE
• Lingua: Inglese
• Compatibilità: Tutti i dispositivi (eccetto Kindle)
• Layout: Reflowable
• EAN: 9798232404833