Book contents
- Encounters with Islam
- Encounters with Islam
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Plates and Figures
- Acknowledgments
- Note on Transcription
- Introduction
- Part I Expressive
- Part II Legal
- Part III Political
- Part IV Critical
- 8 Clifford Geertz, Observing Islam
- 9 Orientalism Revisited
- Envoi
- Bibliography
- Index
- Plate Section (PDF Only)
9 - Orientalism Revisited
Edward Said’s Unfinished Critique
from Part IV - Critical
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 September 2023
- Encounters with Islam
- Encounters with Islam
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Plates and Figures
- Acknowledgments
- Note on Transcription
- Introduction
- Part I Expressive
- Part II Legal
- Part III Political
- Part IV Critical
- 8 Clifford Geertz, Observing Islam
- 9 Orientalism Revisited
- Envoi
- Bibliography
- Index
- Plate Section (PDF Only)
Summary
Edward Said was known not only for his literary studies, his strong support for Palestinian identity, and his influential political commentary but for his criticism of Orientalist scholarship and its impact on the image of Muslims maintain by many Westerners. But for all his criticism of those scholars, it may be argued, however, that Said missed much about their work that should have been addressed. In this chapter, we consider the Orientalist romanticization of the Arabic language, their dismissal of actual Islamic law court decisions, and their emphasis on Arab stasis rather than their social fluidity and creativeness. If we paint a fuller picture of the Orientalists’ scholarship, we can understand both the strengths and weakness not only of their approach to the cultures of the region but where Said himself was able or unable to fulfill his own professed goals.
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- Encounters with IslamStudies in the Anthropology of Muslim Cultures, pp. 170 - 179Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023