Si je n'avais pas lu Edward Saïd, je serais orientaliste - لو ما قرأت كتاب إدوارد سعيد لكنت مستشرقة

Thursday 18 August 2011

Best follow up to Orientalism ...

...I found up until now. And it's called The new orientalists by Ian Almond. It gave me a whole new perspective on postmodern intellectuals as he calls them ( for me they're just plain modern, ultramodern ... But then post modern has always appeared to me as a shallow term, for westerners who are trying to convince themselves they have changed since the imperialist and colonisations times ... When a european is really over that, he doesn't need to proclaim it, his acts suffice ) . Anyway, nine intellectuals's works are reviewed on their relationship to the Other and the "orient" more particularly, from Rushdie to Foucauld, all intellectuals thinkings they have got over the orientalist wave and even believing fighting it, when they are clearly swiming in the middle of it. Really interesting book, and it's almost a fast-read. And if you haven't read first Orientalism by E. Said, then go buy both books !