Where is the 'Middle East'? : West-centric knowledge-power perception towards the ‘East’

Öz

Historically, all cultural, geographical and political names, descriptions, definitions etc. clearly reflect intense categorization, political prejudice, cultural bias, and in general ‘otherization’ to a certain extent. Orientalism, as an influential political-cultural tradition, unambiguously reveals discriminating and arrogant Western stance regarding the rest of the world, particularly the ‘East’ and the Islamic world. This general trend, as a mainstream tradition, can easily be observed within the context of historical Western approach towards the using of the term ‘Middle East’. This paper aims at reviewing the term of ‘Middle East’ as an outcome of the Orientalist perspective both in cultural and political terms, and emphasizes the importance of using alternative ‘regionalist’ terms and concepts to describe the region’s contemporary realities.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• West-centric,Orientalism,Middle East,power,knowledge

What is the 'Middle East'? : Western-centric knowledge-power perception towards the ‘East’

Öz

Historically, all cultural, geographical, and political names and descriptions have clearly reflected intense categorization, cultural bias, political prejudice, and, more generally, ‘otherization’ to a certain extent. Orientalism, as an influential political-cultural concept, unambiguously reveals a discriminatory and arrogant Western stance towards the rest of the world, particularly the ‘East’ and the Islamic world. This general idea, as a mainstream trend, can easily be observed within the context of historical Western usage of the term ‘Middle East’. This paper aims to review the term ‘Middle East’ as an outcome of the Orientalist perspective. It will do so in both cultural and political terms which clearly reveal the critical relationship between ‘power’ and ‘knowledge.’ It will also emphasize the importance of using alternative ‘regionalist’ terms to describe more contemporary realities.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• West-centric,orientalism,Middle East,power,knowledge

Kaynakça

1. -Foucault, Michel. Power / Knowledge - Selected Interviews and Other Writings 1972–1977. New York: Pantheon Books, 1980.
2. -Irvin, Robert. For Lust of Knowing: The Orientalists and Their Enemies. London: Penguin Books, 2007.
3. -Kafadar, Cemal. Between Two Worlds - The Construction of the Ottoman State. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995.
4. -Morris, Ian. Why the West Rules – For Now. The Patterns of History and What They Reveal About the Future. London: Profile Books, 2010.
5. -Said, Edward. Orientalism. London: Penguin Books, 1979.
6. -Stokes, Philip. Philosophy: 100 Essential Thinkers. Kettering: Index Books, 2004.
7. -Ünlü, Reşat Barış. “The Genealogy of a World-empire: The Ottomans in World History,” PhD dissertation, Binghampton University, 2008.
8. -Ünlü, Barış. Osmanlı – Bir Dünya İmparatorluğunun Soykütüğü. Ankara: Dipnot Yayınları, 2011.