Edward Said's Orientalism and the West's vision of the East

Translated by Silvia Toro

The West's attitude toward the East has never been merely a cultural or intellectual issue, but rather a genuine ideological construct linked to power, domination, and the justification of colonialism. In his important book, Orientalism (1978), Edward Said showed how the West has constructed a distorted and stereotypical image of the East—which includes the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia—in order to justify and sustain its political, economic, and cultural domination over these areas.

This image of the East is characterized by a series of fixed and negative stereotypes: the East is seen as an exotic but also backward, irrational, mysterious, and dangerous place, often described as a static universe, incapable of evolving without Western guidance. In stark contrast, the West defines itself as the pole of modernity, rationality, and moral and cultural superiority. This distinction serves to construct a clear hierarchy in which the West positions itself as the ‘civilizer’ called upon to dominate and guide the East.

Orientalism, therefore, is not just a matter of stereotypes or cultural prejudices, but a complex system of knowledge and narratives intertwined with politics, economics, and social control. Through literature, art, cinema, academic research, and the media, the West has spread a monolithic and often distorted view of the East, making it a place to be explored, dominated, and transformed according to its own interests. Orientalism represents a mechanism of power that has reduced the East to an ‘other’ to be dominated, an image that serves to legitimize Western supremacy.

This stereotypical image has been widely conveyed by Western intellectuals, artists, and writers—such as Rudyard Kipling and Gustave Flaubert—who have helped to consolidate a narrative in which the East appears as an indistinct collection of exotic, naive, or violent peoples, thus justifying colonial domination and imperialist policies. This narrative fueled a sense of Western superiority and made practices of exploitation, oppression, and violence acceptable.

Following the same line of thought, Africa has been the subject of the same distorted and functional construction. Valentin-Yves Mudimbe, in his book The Invention of Africa, denounces how the West has created an image of a continent that is savage, primitive, and in need of intervention, ignoring the complexity of its cultures and histories. This “invented Africa” served to legitimize colonialism with religious (the Christian mission), scientific (racism and evolutionism), and political motivations, helping to perpetuate a reductive and harmful image that still reverberates today.

The legacy of these cultural constructs is still deeply rooted in the contemporary Western imagination. In Europe in particular, and in the so-called Eurocentric view, the perception of the Arab-Islamic world and Africa is often marked by stereotypes of backwardness, violence, and marginality, which fuel racism, xenophobia, and exclusionary policies. This attitude is evident in the media, political discourse, and migration policies, demonstrating how Orientalism remains an instrument of symbolic and material power.

However, in recent years there has been growing criticism and questioning of these narratives. Some editorial projects, such as the Afriche newsletter, tell us about a different Africa, showing a continent rich in cultural diversity, technological innovation, and economic growth, far from the usual stereotypes of war and poverty. Similarly, intellectuals such as Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o denounce Western cultural imposition and propose a path of cultural decolonization, calling for the use of native languages and a new historical awareness.

Furthermore, in the current geopolitical context, traditional Western dominance is weakening, especially in Africa, where new players such as Russia, Turkey, and China are asserting themselves through more direct forms of intervention that are often less tied to old colonial logic. In regions such as the Sahel, the presence of groups such as Wagner in Mali highlights the failure of the Western approach, which has too often been based on a paradigm of control and exploitation rather than partnership and respect.

All this confirms how right Said was in denouncing Orientalism as not only a cultural tool, but also a deeply political one, which has allowed the West to define and maintain its supremacy through a monopolizing and distorting narrative. The challenge of modern times stems in overcoming these stereotypical images and starting a dialogue based on reciprocal knowledge, respect, and valorization of cultural differences.

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