Occidentalism
- noun
- /ˌɑːksɪˈdɛntəlɪzəm/
- Formal
- The term "Occidentalism" was coined by James Carrier (n.d.) to refer to the fact that anthropologists' views of the West are often both central to their exposition of the Other and tend to be "naive and commonsensical" (n.d.: 15).
- Occidentalism, Race, and Imperial
- Occidentalism, Race
Examples
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Many scholars debate the implications of Occidentalism in shaping the narratives around Western history and identity.
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Thus, Occidentalisms cannot be treated as curios.
Academic text (1991) -
Her Occidentalism, in other words, depends on an Orientalism in which the actual "other" is fundamentally irrelevant.
Academic text (1991) -
In fact, such a textual focus on the process of Orientalism may well foster another kind of distortion, that of Occidentalism.
Academic text (1991) -
On Margaret Mead's Occidentalisms
Academic text (1991) -
Indeed, if we are to understand anthropological Orientalisms, we have to take account of anthropologists' Occidentalisms (n.d.: 7).
Academic text (1991) -
For a more recent take on what it means to make the ballad lyrical, see Saree Makdisi, Making England Western: Occidentalism, Race and Imperial Culture (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2014), 87-132.
Academic text (2016) -
The study of Occidentalism provides valuable insights into how Western cultures are perceived from outside perspectives.
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Through Occidentalism, researchers analyze representations of the West in literature and art to uncover deeper cultural meanings.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Occidentalism = Occidental (transparent) = occident + al + ism
Built from the adjective 'Occidental' with the productive noun-forming suffix '-ism' meaning study/doctrine relating to the West.
Etymology
Occidentalism comes from Occident, an old word for the 'west', plus the ending -ism meaning 'a way of thinking' or 'a study'. So Occidentalism is about how people write or think about the West, often as a particular view or criticism, like a mirror of Orientalism.
