In this extensive, intellectually influential study, Said presents the history of Orientalism. The West, which had long dominated the Near and Middle East, viewed the East from a superior position. The East was called the “Orient” in the West, that is, “Other” in the West. This perspective continues to be entrenched in the West, and, since the West has not allowed the East to present itself, it also inhibits attempts to fully understand the East.

This groundbreaking book, first published in 1978, remains one of the most influential studies in social science, especially in the fields of ethnography and postcolonial studies. Said was critical of the concept of “Orientalism,” which he considered to be a set of false assumptions of the West about the East.

This Throughout the book, Said presents “the Eurocentric prejudice against Arab-Islamic peoples and cultures.” He shows that the false and romantic perception of Asia and the Middle East, rooted in Western culture, served as a justification for the colonial and imperial ambitions of Europe and the United States.