Orientalism

American  

[awr-ee-en-tl-iz-uhm, ohr-] / ˌɔr iˈɛn tlˌɪz əm, ˌoʊr- /

noun

(often lowercase)

1. a peculiarity or idiosyncrasy of the peoples of Asia, especially the East.

2. the character or characteristics of the peoples of Asia, especially the East.

3. the knowledge and study of Asian, especially Eastern languages, literature, etc.

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Orientalism British  

/ ˌɔːrɪˈɛntəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. knowledge of or devotion to the Orient

2. an Oriental quality, style, or trait

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Other Word Forms

• Orientalist noun
• Orientalistic adjective
• anti-Orientalism noun
• anti-Orientalist noun

Etymology

Origin of Orientalism

First recorded in 1760–70; oriental + -ism

Example Sentences

He painted smaller canvases — nudes and interiors influenced by Impressionism and Orientalism — modeling spaces and volumes with perspective lines and shifts in tone.

From Washington Post • Nov. 10, 2022

He’s this manufactured idea of Asian-ness, and part of that conversation about Orientalism is how things like tea and all these things that we have that we associate with certain cultures.

From The Verge • Mar. 9, 2022

Among the legacies of Orientalism observed by Said was a compulsion to draw invidious distinctions.

From New York Times • Sep. 3, 2021

“Her work goes beyond nationalistic boundaries,” says Sara Raza, founder of a New York-based curatorial studio called Punk Orientalism.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 22, 2021

This is God's word to man's despondency; and when we strip this man's story of its Orientalism, it is really the story of many a discouraged, despondent man of to-day.

From Mornings in the College Chapel Short Addresses to Young Men on Personal Religion by Peabody, Francis Greenwood