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Articles on Orientalism

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The Palestinian village of Bayt Mahsir near Jerusalem circa 1940. The agricultural community was one of hundreds of Palestinian villages depopulated by Israeli forces during the 1948 war. (UNRWA)

How colonialist depictions of Palestinians feed western ideas of eastern ‘barbarism’

The dismissal of Palestinians as “barbaric” or somehow less human is rooted in a long history of colonizing narratives, including how the land and people were first viewed as “uncivilized.”
The words Robert Oppenheimer quoted from the Gita, seen written in dust on part of a deactivated nuclear missile at the Pima Air & Space Museum. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Oppenheimer often used Sanskrit verses, and the Bhagavad Gita was special for him − but not in the way Christopher Nolan’s film depicts it

Oppenheimer’s knowledge of Sanskrit literature was more than cursory. He used quotes and parables from Sanskrit texts as a guide to right actions in his life.
It’s been 75 years since Palestinians were first expelled from their homeland. Here, people from Tantura as they were relocated to Jordan, June 1948. (Benno Rothenberg/Meitar Collection/National Library of Israel/The Pritzker Family National Photography Collection)

Will a UN resolution to commemorate the expulsion of Palestinians from their lands change the narrative? — Listen

The UN’s resolution to recognize Nakba Day on May 15, to mark the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in 1948, helps to acknowledge past traumas but does the resolution have other implications?
The original cover art of Edward Said’s book was this Orientalist painting by Jean Leon Gerome: Le charmeur de serpents. Wikimedia

Orientalism: Edward Said’s groundbreaking book explained

Edward Said’s seminal 1978 book, Orientalism, explores how often racist or romanticised stereotypes create a worldview that justifies Western colonialism and imperialism.
Crazy Rich Asians film poster (Warner Bros), The Whitewash book cover (UQP), The Mysterious Dr Fu Manchu original film poster, The Mask of Fu Manchu film poster, The Conversation.

The Whitewash is a scathing, hilarious satire of Asian misrepresentation in Hollywood

Siang Lu’s debut novel suggests whitewashing Asians for the screen is profitable. ‘People pay to see foreignness repackaged as stereotypes – and thus rendered virtually invisible.’
Muslim participants of different backgrounds who participated in an audience study said they identify with Kamala Khan, also known as Ms. Marvel, because she’s connected both to her ancestral culture and her American one. (Daniel McFadden/Marvel Studios 2022)

Why Ms. Marvel matters so much to Muslim, South Asian fans

Ms. Marvel represents a break from the ‘Muslim equals Middle Eastern’ portrayals popular in western media.
There are many ongoing silences and erasures around anti-Muslim hate and violence in education systems. (Shutterstock)

Schools need to step up to address Islamophobia

Tackling Islamophobia as a form of racism even when Muslims aren’t visible is key.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been described as a Byzantine Emperor in style, positioning Russia as the “third Rome.” In western history books, on the other hand, the Bzyantine Empire is all but ignored, pointing as it does to the east. AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

The Byzantine history of Putin’s Russian empire

Russian president Vladimir Putin draws upon the imperial symbols of the Byzantine Empire to position Russia as the “third Rome.” Meanwhile, Byzantium is erased by western history books.

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