Welcome!
Let’s talk about the Edward Said chapter.
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According to Said’s definition, what is Orientalism? What are the three meanings of the term?
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What do you think Said means when he says that the Orient “was almost a European invention”?
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Said refers to literature (e.g., works by Flaubert, Kipling, and others) as part of the Orientalist tradition. How do you think literary texts can reinforce or challenge imperial ideologies? Give specific examples. Are there examples that involve Burma/Myanmar for example?
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How do you think we should view classic “Orientalist” texts today — as valuable literature, historical artifacts, or problematic cultural products? Give reasons for your answer.
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What responsibilities do scholars and artists have in reproducing or resisting Orientalist representations today?
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How does Orientalism intersect with modern ideas of race, gender, and class? Can we identify similar patterns of “othering” in how the Global South is portrayed today?
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Have you encountered Orientalist ideas in your own education, media consumption, or travel? How did you recognise them (or maybe fail to do so)?
We’ll feed back in the main group.
Writing Exercise
We’re going to finish with a writing exercise. Have you been to a Western country? If you have, you can draw for this exercise on your experience. But if you haven’t, you can rely on what you know from films and TV. This is an exercise in parody, or in satire!
Write a story from the perspective of a fictional “Oriental” (a Burmese/Myanmar/any background relevant to you) person visiting Europe. Use the same tone, language, and assumptions found in Orientalist literature (as described by Said), but in reverse. For example, describe the Europeans’ habits, customs, religions, and governments through a lens of exoticism, generalisation, and scholarly detachment.
Homework
We’re now going to put all the theory we have explored — from Morrison, Hall and Said — to work, by thinking about race and postcoloniality in a Burmese context. Our reading for next time is Ikeya, C. (2020). Belonging Across Religion, Race, and Nation in Burma-Myanmar. In Z. L. Rocha & P. J. Aspinall (Eds.), The Palgrave International
Handbook of Mixed Racial and Ethnic Classification (pp. 757–778). Springer
International Publishing. (PERLEGO)
It’s a terrific paper. Read it carefully, and share your thoughts on the discussion board.