January 18- Contemporary Orientalism and Imperialism

We often feel that the days of imperialism are long over, but in actuality, India has only experienced sixty years of autonomy. We feel these ideas of superiority and ownership are long past, but they endure, more subtle and pervasive than ever. When recently reading Edward Said's book, Orientalism, I was surprised by how prevalent these ideas still are.  Westerners rejoice in their superiority, and bask in the modernity of their ideas compared to the backwards traditions of the locals. They come into another nation and proclaim those people wrong and plan to "fix" the people. If they succeed in their endeavors, it is only be virtue of their superior intellect and planning, if they fail it is the fault of the primitive people.

The book further examines the ideas that the westerner is superior in every way. A particularly memorable paragraph reads "The European is a close reasoner; his statements of fact are devoid of any ambiguity; he is a natural logician, albeit he may not have studied logic; he is by nature skeptical and requires proof before he can accept the truth...The Oriental, on the other hand, like his picturesque streets, is eminently wanting.. incapable of drawing the most obvious conclusions from any simple premises... His explanation will be lengthy and wanting in lucidity. He will probably contradict himself half a dozen times before he has finished his story... and in everything oppose the clarity, directness, and nobility of the Anglo-Saxan race." While these ideas seem ridiculous it is easy to slip into this destructive ideas of thinking.

These horrific ideas felt obvious and natural to these well educated scholars who essentially argued "There are Westerners, and there are Orientals. The former dominate; the latter must be dominated, which usually means having their land occupied, their internal affairs rigidly controlled, their blood and treasure put at the disposal of one or another Western power". This idea may seem a far cry from our own benevolent ideals, but is it really? Are our attempts to impose western medicine and education another form of imperialism. Are we attempting development with the idea that we know what is best for the indigenous people?