From an article Published by the GLORIA Center,Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya Volume 10, No. 1, Article 2 - March 2006 By Joshua Teitelbaum and Meir Litvak*, translated from Hebrew by Keren Ribo (the source article is a long, academic piece, but well worth it for serious students of the Middle East, who will be subtley affected by its subject matter throughout their academic careers)...
Since the publication of "Orientalism" in 1978, Edward Said's critique has become the hegemonic discourse of Middle Eastern studies in the academy. While Middle Eastern studies can improve, and some part of Said's criticism is valid, it is apparent that the Orientalism critique has done more harm than good.
Although Said accuses the West and Western researchers of "essentializing" Islam, he himself commits a similar sin when he writes that Western researchers and the West are monolithic and unchanging. Such a view delegitimizes any search for knowledge--the very foundation of the academy. One of Said's greatest Arab critics, Syrian philosopher Sadiq Jalal al-Azm, attacked Said for the anti-intellectualism of this view. Since German and Hungarian researchers are not connected to imperialism, Said conveniently leaves them out of his critique. Said also ignores the positive contribution that researchers associated with power made to the understanding of the Middle East. Said makes an egregious error by negating any Islamic influence on the history of the region.
His discursive ... led him before September 11, 2001 to denigrate the idea that Islamist terrorists could blow up buildings and sabotage airplanes.
Finally, Said's influence has been destructive: it has contributed greatly to the excessively politicized atmosphere in Middle Eastern studies that rejects a critical self-examination of the field, as well as of Middle Eastern society and politics.....
....
...CONCLUSION
Despite the positive contribution of "Orientalism" in increasing the awareness of scholars to cultural biases and the importance of discourse in shaping research, the harm the book wrought was no less great. Apart from unfounded historical generalizations on the development of Middle Eastern studies in the West, on "representing" Islam in the West, and on Middle Eastern society itself, even to the point of adopting essentialist approaches which he himself attacked, there are several methodological failures in the book which cast a shadow over Said's writing. Amongst these one can point to the unspoken demand that the scholar identify with the object of his research as a precondition for research aptitude; giving preference to matters of presentation ... over aiming at empirical and historical truth; and ignoring Islam as a significant cultural discourse, a key factor in the formation of Middle Eastern politics and society.
The principle problem in Said's criticism is its contribution to the exaggerated politicization of Middle Eastern studies and transforming it into a hegemonic discourse which silences all self-criticism, for self- criticism is the essence of all academic research.
As we reflect back on more than a quarter century since the publication of Orientalism, it seems that Arab intellectuals in the Middle East are more self-critical than ever before. The Internet, an opening up of the press, and satellite television have increased the amount of public space for airing opinion. Self-criticism in the Middle East is flourishing.[76] For many years, Middle Eastern studies in the West has suffered from a kind of self-censorship that threatened to destroy "the free spirit of inquiry, discovery, and expression which has inspired and guided the whole modern movement of scholarship and science."[77] It is our hope that the opening up of debate in the Middle East--be it with respect to women's issues, Islam, democracy, or peace with Israel--will serve as an example, loosening up the stifling effect that Said had on Middle Eastern studies scholarship in the Western academy.
*Joshua Teitelbaum is Senior Fellow, Moshe Dayan Center for Middle East and African Studies, Tel Aviv University, and Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the Department of Middle Eastern History, Bar Ilan University. Meir Litvak is Senior Fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle East and African Studies, and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Middle Eastern and African History, Tel Aviv University. Dr. Teitelbaum began his studies at UCLA in 1976; Dr. Litvak began his at Tel Aviv University in 1980. In this article, they reflect on the influence of Said's Orientalism throughout their years of studying and teaching about Islam and the Middle East. They hope it will be useful to students and teachers alike. This is a revised and expanded version of an article which appeared in Hamizrah Hehadash, Vol. 55 (2005).
No comments:
Post a Comment