It is inescapable to write about American Orientalism without crossing over Orientalism itself for the reason that if there was no Edward Said, the works of Douglass little will not come into being. Said is of great importance as a literary critic as well as a cultural theorist in the sense that what is known now as post-colonialism is highly indebted to Said’s early works including Orientalism. Many critics agree with the fact that post-colonial theorists such as Homi K. Bhabha and Gayatri Spivak could not replace Edward Said.
Above all, he was the first one who set up the foundations of the colonial discourse along with Frantz Fanon. Thus, he has a major influence in the emergence of other post-colonial thinkers. However, this does not mean that Said’s works are holy texts. That is, they have no shortcomings. To name a few, some critics claim that Said’s works are ahistorical meaning that it is impossible that all these orientalists starting from the poet Dante would have the same colonial discursive assumptions. Second, some of the major criticism directed to Orientalism is neglecting the question of agency and resistance by the colonized itself.
Table of Contents
1. American Orientalism: the United States and the Middle East since 1945
2. The Puritans, Mark Twain, Arabian Nights and the American Arts
3. The philosophy of Us versus Them and Americanizing the Middle East
4. Covering Islam and Arabs: the media and the Arab-Israeli conflict
Research Objectives and Topics
This paper examines how the Middle East, particularly Arabs and Muslims, has been constructed within the American imagination through literature, media, and politics, focusing on the development of a discourse defined by antagonism, binary oppositions, and stereotypes.
- The historical roots of American Orientalism dating back to the Puritan era.
- The influence of literature and travelogues, specifically the works of Mark Twain, on shaping American perceptions.
- The role of "Us versus Them" binary frameworks in political discourse, particularly regarding the war on terror.
- The media's role in legitimizing American Zionism and representing the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Excerpt from the Book
The Puritans, Mark Twain, Arabian Nights and the American Arts
Nobody can deny that Israel is an American invention. Zionism, a discourse made by America, takes advantage of Judaism for the sake of political benefits. Therefore and as a strategic arena, the Middle East has always been in the minds of Americans. According to Douglass Little, it was “the puritans who founded ‘God’s American Israel’ on Massachusetts Bay nearly four centuries ago brought with them a passionate fascination with the Holy Land and a profound ambivalence about the ‘infidels’— mostly Muslims but some Jews — who lived there” (Little, p9). It seems that Zionism is as old as the American history itself. This antagonistic attitude towards the Arabs dates back to the extreme Puritan era, which coincides with the appearance of the literatures of the United States particularly American Romanticism.
It is a common knowledge that Romanticism celebrates imagination and the maxim of art for the sake of art. European Romanticism particularly Coleridge and Wordsworth had a huge influence on Poe, Melville, Washington and Hawthorne. Throughout the works of these authors, we can better know about the puritans themselves. For instance, Hawthorne’s masterpiece The Scarlett Letter portrays the strictness and severity of the puritans. Moreover, in a very symbolic and ironic way, Hawthorne exposes the discrepancy of the puritans exemplified in the religious character of Dimmesdale who is involved in an extramarital relationship with the protagonist of Hyster Prynne. Thanks to these literary works, one can trace the origin of American supremacy and their antagonism against other races including the Arabs and Jews.
Summary of Chapters
American Orientalism: the United States and the Middle East since 1945: An introduction to the influence of Edward Said’s theories on colonial discourse and the author's intent to explore Douglass Little’s critique of American perspectives on the Middle East.
The Puritans, Mark Twain, Arabian Nights and the American Arts: This section explores how historical Puritan attitudes and American literary traditions, especially the works of Mark Twain, established early Orientalist tropes and stereotypes in American culture.
The philosophy of Us versus Them and Americanizing the Middle East: Discusses the construction of binary political discourses, using post-9/11 rhetoric as a primary example of how the "self" and the "other" are polarized for geopolitical legitimacy.
Covering Islam and Arabs: the media and the Arab-Israeli conflict: Analyzes the role of news media, cinema, and popular literature in shaping public perception to support Zionist objectives while marginalizing Arab perspectives.
Keywords
American Orientalism, Edward Said, Douglass Little, Colonial Discourse, Stereotypes, Us versus Them, Mark Twain, Zionism, Media Representation, Islamophobia, Binaries, Cultural Imperialism, Middle East, Foreign Policy, Othering.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper examines the construction of the Middle East, particularly the Arab world and Islam, in the American imagination through the lenses of history, literature, media, and political discourse.
What are the central themes explored?
Key themes include the historical continuity of American Orientalism, the power of cultural narratives in shaping foreign policy, the creation of binary "Us versus Them" frameworks, and the role of media in political legitimacy.
What is the core research objective?
The objective is to analyze how Americans have historically drawn a discourse of antagonism and stereotypes regarding the Middle East, specifically through literature, media, and political rhetoric.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The paper utilizes a post-colonial theoretical framework, drawing heavily from the work of Edward Said, Michel Foucault’s concept of discourse, and the historical critique provided by Douglass Little.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body covers the Puritan foundations of American attitudes, the literary influence of Mark Twain, the evolution of political binary opposition in the post-9/11 era, and media representations of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Which keywords best describe this research?
Core keywords include American Orientalism, cultural imperialism, binary opposition, discourse, post-colonialism, stereotypes, and media representation.
How does the author connect the Puritan era to modern Zionism?
The author argues that early Puritan fascination with the Holy Land and their view of themselves as "God's American Israel" created an historical precedent for the antagonistic attitude towards the Middle East that informs modern American support for Zionism.
How does the paper analyze the film Aladdin in an Orientalist context?
The author uses the film Aladdin to demonstrate the omnipresence of offensive American Orientalist stereotypes within popular culture, citing the film's original lyrics as an explicit example of how the Orient is misrepresented.
What role does the media play in the Arab-Israeli conflict according to this paper?
The author contends that media outlets, such as National Geographic, and cinematic apparatuses have played a significant role in legitimizing American Zionism by framing the creation of Israel as a solution for Holocaust survivors and relating that cause to the historical narrative of the American Puritans.
How does the paper define the "Manichean Allegory"?
Referencing Abdul Jan Mohamed, the paper defines the Manichean Allegory as a mechanism through which imperialists configure the colonial realm as a confrontation based on essentialized differences in race, culture, and social values to demonize the "other."
- Arbeit zitieren
- Issam El Masmodi (Autor:in), 2019, "American Orientalism" by Douglass Little. Discussion of the First Chapter, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1134994
