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The Net Worth of Orientalism: Can Discourse be Hegemonic in Cyberspace?
Abstract
When Edward Said reinvented the academic field of “Orientalism” as Foucauldian discourse with a non-Marxist Gramscian intellectual twist, his focus was on texts and institutions. His ultimate target was what he identified as “Orientalism Now,” exemplified in the suffering of fellow Palestinians and personified in the academic persona of historian Bernard Lewis. After three decades much of the prejudice and misinformation outed by Said has been effectively challenged by scholars but still runs rampant in the mainstream media and within conservative think tanks that continue to impact government policy. Also after three decades, the text has crossed a digital divide. The kinds of views which were previously labeled “Orientalist” still exist in cyberspace, but the nature of the medium challenges the notion of a discourse which can define either an unchanging, inferior “Orient” or even a “NeoOrient.” If Orientalism is approached as “a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient,” as Said famously argued, how is this style adapted online? If a monopoly over knowledge is essential for power plays, can any digitalized discursive object be considered hegemonic, denying permission for alternative subaltern voices to narrate? In this paper I suggest ways in which we can refine the issues embedded in the notion of “Orientalism” (in both their production and dissemination) in cyberspace. I will examine the role of online news services, such as al-Jazeera, relevant Middle East Studies organizational websites and blogs.
Discipline
Anthropology
Geographic Area
All Middle East
Sub Area
Media