Orientalism - Edward W. Said

Selected by one of the artists in our Entangled Pasts exhibition, Hew Locke RA - "I read this when I was at Art School on my BA course, and it changed the way I viewed art, and the history of Western culture. It is both a seminal and relevant book."

For generations now, Edward W. Said's Orientalism has defined our understanding of colonialism and empire, and this Penguin Modern Classics edition contains a preface written by Said shortly before his death in 2003.

- +
Add to gift list
£10.99
In stock

More details

Material Paperback
Dimensions 19.8 x 2 x 12.9cm
EAN/ISBN 9780141187426
No. of Pages 396
SKU 12091715

Delivery & Returns

Enjoy free shipping on all UK orders with code MARCHFREESHIP. International shipping costs will be calculated at checkout.

For more information please refer to our Delivery Info and Returns & Refunds pages.

Product story

In this highly-acclaimed work, Edward Said surveys the history and nature of Western attitudes towards the East, considering orientalism as a powerful European ideological creation - a way for writers, philosophers and colonial administrators to deal with the 'otherness' of eastern culture, customs and beliefs. He traces this view through the writings of Homer, Nerval and Flaubert, Disraeli and Kipling, whose imaginative depictions have greatly contributed to the West's romantic and exotic picture of the Orient. Drawing on his own experiences as an Arab Palestinian living in the West, Said examines how these ideas can be a reflection of European imperialism and racism.

Edward W. Said (1935-2003) was a Palestinian-American cultural critic and author, born in Jerusalem and educated in Egypt and the United States. His other books include The Question of Palestine, Culture and Imperialism and Out of Place: A Memoir.

Reviews