Assignment II Nithya
A
Culture and Imperialism
Today the importance of culture is high in
all fields of society. The chief peculiarity of the modern era is the
heightened sense of the importance of culture. It is equal to the base of a
self-conscious discourse on modernity as a distinct historical era was of the
idea is that to know the importance and the understanding and practices of
culture. The relation between modernity and perception together constituted and
created a new meaning of culture. These
relationship can be showed in terms of changing concepts of identity, space and
place and a heterogeneous set of practices associated with culture that are not
limited to the arts.
.
The publication of Edward said orientalism in
1978, so many academic discourse has begun to use the term “orientalism” this
was showed the general patronizing western attitude towards the Asian and North
African societies. Said’s opinion is that the western attitude towards the
third world countries as static and undeveloped. So the main idea is provided and
focusing that the western society is developed rational flexible and superior.
The central idea of orientalism is
the western knowledge about the East is not generated from facts or reality.
The Eastern knowledge is constructed with literary texts and historical records
that often are of limited understanding of the facts of life in the Middle
East. The nineteenth century European, an interesting range of options are offered
all type of superiority depends upon the subordination and victimization of the
native. The orientalism plays important role separating the culture in various
way.
Culture and imperialism is a collection
of essays by Edward Said published in 1993. In this book he tries to attempts
to trace the connection between imperialism and culture in the 18th,
19th and 20th centuries. It followed his highly
influential book of Orientalism published in 1978. Edward said make difference
between culture and imperialism for using the argument of Orientalism. The
mainstream culture is the impact of this book for using the British writers
during the 19th and early 20th century like Jane Austen
and Rudyard Kipling. In the introduction part said focusing on the importance
of the novel. The connection between culture and empire is highly influenced in
this book. He defined culture is a more complex way.
According to said the age of empire largely
ended after World War II, when the time of colonies get the independence. The
imperialistic attitudes still exist because of the cultural influences. The
colonialists and imperialists employed culture to control the peoples. The most
important book Culture and Imperialism is one of the discussing books of the
past year. In this collection of essay he focusing on three major metropolitan
cultures that are, British, French and American to show how even their present
indenties are the product of power. The main element is that it shows the
interpretation of third world countries but also in to the study of the
formation and meaning of western cultural practices themselves.
Edward said beginning to the introduction
part expressing the commitment of the book Orientalism to and paved the way for
writing this book. And also helping to the university lectures in the United
States, Canada and England in 1985 and 1986. Then he says that orientalism
provides so many limitations to the Middle East, so he tried his best to expand
the arguments of the earlier book to describe a more general pattern of
scholarships between the modern metropolitan West and its overseas territories.
The
orientalism was the response to western dominance which constituted in the
great movement of decolonization all across the Third World countries. In this
book said explain two factors, a general worldwide pattern of imperial culture
and a historical experience of resistance against empire; these two factors
make a sequel to Orientalism, but an attempt to do something else. In both
books explain culture in a different way. The meaning of culture looks two things;
first of all it means all those practices, like the arts of description,
communication, and representation that have relative autonomy from the economic,
social and political realms.
The modern western empires of the
nineteenth and twentieth century looks especially at cultural forms, like the
novels and all other literature forms. In the sense it is also the formation of
imperial attitudes, references and experience. The novel is not considered
important for other literature; he considered it is an aesthetic object whose
connection to the expanding the societies of Britain and France is particularly
for using interesting to study. It is very helpful to know connection between
what the societies culture and how to look up the other societies value.
Edward said says that culture is
sort of theater where various political and ideological causes engage one
another. It provide so many good things to the societies and to which causes
expose themselves to the light of day and contend with one another. It is
utilizes all living things. The American, French and Indian students who
are taught to read their national
classics before they read their national classics before they read others are
expected to appreciate and prayed for them. This type of nationalism leads
their nations and traditions while denigrating or fighting against others.
Imperialism does not lend itself to
complete conclusive definitions, though it is more easily comprehensible than
the word culture. The interaction between imperialism and culture take place
towards the dominating and dominated nations. These developments not considered
a proper way of relation because of distrust and contempt on either side. The
dominated nation never accepts the ideology and characteristics of dominating
nation. It is the universal truth in any other periods. This was not changed
the contemporary sociopolitical life of the human being.
Many intellectuals argued that
literature is the mirror of culture but Said rejected this opinion and says
that literature not the mirror of culture, it is the general attitude of the
critic and reader who never care to look at the cultural aspects of the works
of fiction, like the work of Carlyle, Ruskin or Dickens. Literature is not a single concept, it is
includes so many elements. All are looks the all type of works in a cultural
way. This was changed for important thing and avoids the suppressing attitudes
towards the other concepts of analyzing work of art.
The culture includes ideology and attitude
of a nation, the imperialist take any other effort to subdue the culture. The
proper way of education is the field through which imperialist finds easiest
access to the culture of the subjugated nation. The third world countries
considered lowest position in other countries. The education is not played in
this nation.in this time the imperialist contributed so many programs for the
developments of education. One of the goal is that achieved the freedom from
British colonialism.
The introduction to culture and
imperialism is a proper way of appraisal of current world scenario around us.
And also considered the warning for people of world against the United States
of Americas imperialistic attitudes. During the cold war, US had to contribute
for the socio- economic developments of the third world countries. In the case of
US aggression, the victim state could invoke the intervention of USSR, which US
could afford to ignore. With the engineered fall of USSR , US emerged as the
self-appointed lord of the world. Muslim
militants groups were created, trained and organized and financed to cause the
fall of USSR. These groups were made to believe that it was the war between
Islam and communism.
During the 19th century the immense
power was concentrated in Britain and France as a result of industrialization.
In the later years, US also came up with Britain and France and make a west
domination. Said clearly mentioned imperialism in US is doing around the third
world countries.
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