Occidentalism/ Orientalism in Reverse: The West in the Eyes of Modern Arab Intellectuals
Abstract
The Occidental Studies Unit at the King Faisal Center for Islamic Studies, Saudi Arabia is an indication of the interest of the Arab-Islamic World in “Occidentalism”. But what is Occidentalism? Does it really exist as a phenomenon that is opposed to Orientalism ? And how do Arab literary and non-literary writers view the West? In this article, I begin by exploring different views of Arab and western thinkers towards the existence of the phenomenon of “Occidentalism” or “orientalism in reverse” the dehumanized representation of the west , in an attempt to find a partial answer to the question some American intellectuals have been asking since 11 September 2001: why do they hate us?
References
- Al-Azm, Sadik Jalal. “Orientalism and Orientalism in Reverse.” Khamsin, Journal of the Revolutionary Socialists of the Middle East 8 (1981): 6-25. Print.
- Al-Hakim, Tawfiq. Bird from the East. 1966. Trans. R. Baily Winder. Cairo: The American UP, 2004. Print.
- Al-Jabiri, Mohammed Abid. Human Development in the Arab World: The Cultural and Societal Dimensions. New York: United Nations, 1995. Print.
- Al-Sulaim, Fatimah Abdullah. The Arab Nahdha Projects and the Arab Intellectuals’ Perspectives of Modernity and Social Change in the Arab World. Diss. The American University, 2004. Ann Arbor: UMI, 2002. Print.
- Anderson, Benedict R. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. Rev. ed. London: Verso, 1991. Print.
- Arkoun, Mohammed. Arab Thought. New Delhi: S. Chand, 1988. Print.
- Ayyub, Dhu al-Nun. Al-Ductoor Ibrahim (Dr Ibrahim). 1939. Ministry of Education: Baghdad. Print.
- Bayoumi, Alaa. “Occidentalism in Late Nineteenth Century Egypt,” Diss. Duquesne University 2005. Ann Arbor: UMI, 2005. Proquest.com. Web. 3 Jan. 2014.
- Bilgrami, Akeel. “Occidentalism, the Very Idea: An Essay on Enlightenment and Enchantment.” Critical Inquiry 32.3 (2006): 381- 411. Print.
- Boroujerdi, Mehrzad. “Orientalism in Reverse: Iranian Intellectuals and the West, 1960-1990.” Diss. The American U. Ann Arbor: UMI, 1990. ProQuest. Web. 2 Jan. 2008.