Edward Said (1978) 'Introduction', Orientalism

In this text, Said explains Orientalism as the construction of the image of the East by the West. Said argues that European conceptions of the Orient have been deep-rooted in ideological misrepresentation. He argues that this is one of the longest traditions of displaying the "other" in opposition to the West. In this binary opposition the ‘Orient’ is perceived as different and less than the West, a construction that enforces stereotypes and helps the West maintain power.

Said reinforces this point by saying that Orientalism is more than just a collection of misrepresentation, and that it comparatively became a body of theory and practice that was considered by many as ‘fact’. The labelling of the East as decadent, barbarous and weak inevitably contributed to the construction of the West as its counter image.  In this positive inversion, the West became robust, sophisticated and simply portrayed as better than the East. Furthermore, the discourses, as aforementioned, become ever more prevalent when mixed with hegemony. By constantly issuing literature and imagery over the decades that the east is the binary opposite of the west dominance is not only reasserted but also fed into the notion of eastern oppression and western leadership.

The West, throughout history, has always depicted anything that is not quintessentially "Western" as different and inadequate. Repeatedly, the West has exhibited people from ethnic backgrounds in human zoos, captured and enslaved people they saw as primitive, thereby dividing nations. However, it is likely that systems such as Orientalism, created by the West, have played a part in the deeper rooted issues seen today, such as the persistence of xenophobia as seen in people’s vote for Brexit and systemic racism within society.