Write a 2-3 page (double spaced) essay using the questions below as guidance. Frame the essay as a critical response to Edward Said’s view of Orientalism as outlined in his essay “Orientalism: 25 Years Later”—that is, frame the essay as an argument in which you agree or disagree with his views or in which you raise problems with one or more of the claims he makes in the essay. Possible topics that you can agree or disagree with include:

• Do you agree with Said’s claim that there is a clear line stretching from 18th and 19th century colonial discourses about Asia to the American “imperialist” presence in the Middle East? Give examples to support your argument.

• Given that we now live in a globalized world in which Asian and Western countries both compete in open markets and in which the internet, mass media, and international travel bring Asia and the West closer together more than ever before, isn’t Edward Said’s view of Orientalism somewhat outdated? Sure, his critique of Orientalism may accurately depict the Western view of Asia during the colonial period, but colonialism occurred centuries ago when there was little contact between Asia and the West and when most people—on both sides—had no idea about the values, lifestyles, and aspirations of the other. The rapid pace of progress since colonialism, however, reveals an entirely different world.

• How would Said respond to some of his most vocal critics, such as Ibn Warraq who, in his book Defending the West, claims that Said paints an overly simplistic picture of how the West regarded Asia, that his view of Orientalism is “anti-Western,” and that he fails to appreciate how the “great ideas of the West”—rationalism, democracy, freedom of thought and expression, and basic human rights—have in fact enhanced the development of Asian countries.

• What is Said’s view of humanism and how does it relate to Orientalism? Give examples from the Said article we read in class to illustrate his view of humanism, and ask about the relevance of humanism as a method to combat the “mind-forg’d manacles” of Orientalist thought.

You don’t need to limit the topic of your essay to any of those listed above and I encourage you to develop your own topic or to revise and alter the topics above to include, for example, the interview with the scholar Shimizu on how Orientalism informed the Atlanta spa shootings in 2021, or how Orientalism is linked to particular views of Asian women, as outlined in the “Journey to the West” video podcasts we watched for class.