The question of how people differentiate themselves from other people and the actions they take to reinforce those distinctions has always been a topic that interests me in my artistic practice. In particular I am drawn to the dynamics of binary opposites in the way that they are used to reinforce positions of power and dominance. In choosing a critic for my essay paper and presentation Edward Said immediately came to mind because of his seminal work in postcolonial theory regarding the binary division of the world into the Orient and the Occident. I also felt that interests in my work resonated with Said’s existential and humanistic concerns.
Edward Said (1935-2003) inherited American citizenship from his father and lived his life in America from the age of fifteen. Born in Jerusalem his time spent growing up in colonial Palestine and Egypt proved to be a significant influence throughout his life. The discrepancies between his experiences and the representation in academia and mass culture of Arabic culture started Said off on his journey in postcolonial theory. Throughout his career he has explored and expanded upon the manipulation of complex reality for consumption and domination. At the tail end of the Vietnam War when people were questioning the role of scholarship in politics he published one of his most influential works Orientalism in 1978. In this work one of the issues Said raises is the problematic nature of Oriental studies in which Western scholars write about experiences that are not their own with the intention that they are to be read by other Western scholars. The essence of Said’s scholarship is the deconstruction of colonial thought structures with the aim of liberating the mind of both the colonised and colonising people.
For further information on Said’s motivations and influences see the You Tube series Edward Said- Last Interview.
Eileen Abood
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