Orientalist Attitudes in Film

One of the most polarizing criticisms of Western society is the theory that Western bias has led to a misrepresentation of Middle Eastern culture. Columbia professor Edward Said initiated discussion about this controversial topic in 1978 through his book Orientalism. The term Orientalism has come to represent portrayals of the Middle East which have been affected by Western social influence. Said describes Orientalist thinking and it’s impact stating;

Orientalism is a style of thought based upon an ontological and epistemological distinction made between "the Orient" and (most of the time) "the Occident." Thus a very large mass of writers, among whom are poets, novelists, philosophers, political theorists, economists, and im-perial administrators, have accepted the basic distinction between East and West… (Said, 1979, p. 3).

Here Said describes the purposeful differentiation between the East and West, and explains how such thinking has influenced multiple aspects of Western society. As Orientalist trains of thought have become accepted they are perpetuated by scholars, politicians, journalists and writers who create depictions of the Middle East which have been shaped by Orientalist preconceptions.Therefore the majority of literature dealing with the Middle East has been influenced by Western bias.

Since nearly all research is performed using Western logic There are several common representations of the East which can be found within academic literature. Said describes some of the stereotypes which are commonly depicted and how writers of the early 19th century have shaped Western attitudes toward the Middle East stating:

Every one of them kept intact the separateness of the Orient, its eccentricity, its backwardness, its silen...

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...stereotype of Arab violence. This trait is only found in the Egyptian characters as highlighted through comparison to the Germans within the film. While Dr. Jones often uses their violent behavior to defeat his Middle Eastern enemies we find that it is not a necessary element of the plot. Through brute force and quick thinking Jones is still able to defeat his Western opponents in the film. Thus we can assert that these distorted stereotypical portrayals of Arabs are due to Western Orientalist attitudes. This supports Said’s claim that common stereotypes can be found within all Western representations of the Middle East and proves that Orientalism is a pervasive issue within popular media.

Works Cited

Said, Edward W. Orientalism. London: Penguin, 2003.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Perf. Harrison Ford. Paramount, 1981. DVD.