Orientalism as Cultural Practices and the Production of Sociological Knowledge

Abstract

Since the 1990s, sociologists and others have increasingly used the term orientalism to refer commonly to ethnocentrism, Eurocentrism, prejudicial stereotyping, and cultural misrepresentations of non‐‘western’ societies, particularly those influenced by Islamic knowledge and practices. I chart how theorist Edward Said has helped initiate the sociology of orientalism by emphasizing the relationship of orientalism as a set of cultural practice and discourse to modern empires and global imperialism. I discuss the prominent clusters of studies published in English in the sociology of orientalism: (i) cultural representations and (ii) cultural regulation and social‐identity formation. I argue that these studies have examined the ways orientalisms have deployed signifying practices of abstraction, difference, and desire in constructing problematic images and social relations. Furthermore, I contend that sociology as an intellectual endeavor still needs to confront seriously the issues raised by critics of orientalisms.

Dissecting Anti‐Asian Racism Through a Historical and Transnational AsianCrit Lens

“…In addition, U.S. orientalist constructions of Asians and diasporic Asians have influenced and have been impacted by popular media and cultural representations. In his treatise on the "sociology of orientalism," Peter Chua (2008) examines cultural representations as "signifying practices . .…”

“…In addition, U.S. orientalist constructions of Asians and diasporic Asians have influenced and have been impacted by popular media and cultural representations. In his treatise on the “sociology of orientalism,” Peter Chua (2008) examines cultural representations as “signifying practices … in constructing problematic images and social relations” (1179). Cultural portrayals and productions of Asians and Asian Americans in newspapers, magazines, radio, theater, film, television, and other media reveal prejudiced public attitudes and treatments toward this racially minoritized group (Okada, 2015).…”

Decolonizing Bourdieu

“…And as colonial studies and postcolonial theory spread, sociology faced new criticisms. Scholars working in or inspired by postcolonial studies targeted sociology for occluding the history of imperialism and colonialism, reproducing imperial epistemic structures and Eurocentrism, and failing to provide a critique of Western colonialism and racial domination (Alatas 2006a;Amin 1989;Chua 2008;Connell 1997;Go 2012;Kempel and Mawani 2009;Magubane 2005;Seidman 1996;Seth 2009). 12 As noted already, Bourdieu's work has been part of the sociological corpus suffering from the postcolonial critique.…”

The ‘New’ Sociology of Empire and Colonialism

“…They have been especially prominent in postcolonial theory, where theorists such as Homi Bhabha (1994)– following partly in the tradition of Fanon and Memmi – embedded colonialists’ racial discourses in psychoanalytic categories. But sociological research into racialized colonial discourse offers different insights (see also Chua 2008). Rather than psychologizing, sociological work sees racial discourses in relation to a wide range of processes.…”