Edward Said defined ‘Orientalism’ as prejudiced outsider interpretations that were shaped by the attitudes of imperialists that serve to justify occupation and exploitation. Provide an ‘orientalist’ example of a negative outsider representation of the people living in the region of your selected country. This can be a poem, photo, film, news report, piece of art, etc. Use what you learned about Orientalism in the Colonialism lesson to analyze your example.
Assignment Objectives
- identify an example of an outsider / orientalist representation of Africa or African people
- recognize the outsider(s) that produced the representation
- identify who is being represented
- recognize the audience/viewer of the representation
- describe the meanings communicated about the people being represented
- analyze the broader effects or impacts generated by the representation
- present the representation or a link to it in your post.
Where to Begin
- Step 1: Conduct research to locate an outsider / orientalist example (image, art, song, news report, movie, etc.)
- Step 2: Identify the producer of the representation, the people being represented, and the intended audience engaging with the representation.
- Step 3: Use information from the lessons to identify the messages and meanings communicated by the reprentation. For example, how does the representation contribute to stereotypes about Africa and African people?
- Step 4: References: Be sure to include a bibliography that is formatted (does not count toward the word count). You should also reference in-text using parenthesis or footnotes. If you need assistance, review the Annotated Bibliography lesson for information on formatting references and citing in-text.
The assignment should be organized in Introduction-Body-Conclusion format and consist of approximately 750-1500 words. It is a good idea to type the report in a Word document and then copy it into the text box in the discussion so others can easily read it. Be sure to include your example with a properly formatted reference.
After submitting the assignment, move on to the Independence and Nation-building lesson.