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ORIENT
- The Orient may also refer to the French ship L'Orient.
The Orient is a term traditionally used in Western culture to refer to the Near, Middle and Far East.
Derivation
The term "Oriental" is derived from the Latin word oriens, which is the present participle of "orior": to rise. The implication is that it refers to the rising sun, hence the use of Orient to describe the "land of the rising sun", i.e. the Far East, and is exactly analogous with the Chinese term for Japan. The opposite term "Occident" - derived from the Latin word occidens, from the verb "occido": I fall - was once used to describe the western world, i.e. the "land of the falling (setting) sun", but is slowly falling into disuse.
Usage of term
Traditionally "Oriental" has been used by the West as a term to describe cultures, countries, peoples and goods from the Orient. Some useages of Oriental are still common, for example, Mizrahi Jews (native to the Middle East) are often referred to as Oriental Jews and it is common in older Universities: the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies, the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute and Oxford University's Faculty of Oriental Studies all focus on the Middle East, East Asia and South Asia. The American Oriental Society remains the premier body for the study of "Oriental" societies.
Oriental is also used as an adjective akin to "eastern", especially in the Spanish-speaking world. For example, the Philippine island Mindoro is divided into two provinces whose titles include the words "oriental" and "occidental" respectively. Uruguay used to be known as the República Oriental del Uruguay because it was located to the east of the Rio de la Plata.
Traditionally, the Orient referred primarily to the cultures and countries of what are now considered North Africa, Western Asia and South Asia. This particularly included regions thta used to be known as Persia, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Egypt. As awareness of the countries of Eastern Asia grew in Western European and American consciousness in the late 19th century, the term also came to refer to China, Japan, and the surrounding nations. Remnants of the older conception of the Orient still exist in the English language in such collocations as "Oriental rug" and "Oriental harem".
The ‘O’ Word
In the 21st century, the term "Oriental" is considered by some people, primarily among politically active Asian-Americans, to be derogatory, largely because of its connection to 19th century European and American Imperialists who are thought to have held a patronising attitude towards the region. Many of these people saw "the East" as backwards, while the West was seen as logical, rational and more modern. Furthermore, it is claimed that some works in "Oriental studies" were riddled with inaccurate information that was used to justify colonization of these countries. This view was first, and most famously, put forward by Edward Said in his Orientalism. Some Asian Americans see parallels between the word "oriental" and "nigger", though many see it as simply old-fashioned, as many African Americans see the word "Negro". The main criticism of the term is that it is overly vague, referring to a category of peoples with widely divergent cultural and ethnic backgrounds and no clear division between those groups which belong to the category "Oriental" and those which do not. In the USA, where most of the objections to usage of "oriental" occur, the term is often replaced with "Asian" when describing people. In fact, in Washington state it is illegal to use the word in legislation and government documents.
In line with objections from academics and the Asian American community there has been a gradual shift in terminology towards more accurate and politically sensitive terms. The leading society for East Asian studies in the United States, The Far Eastern Association was renamed the Association for Asian Studies, and its associated publication, the The Far Eastern Quarterly was renamed the Journal of Asian Studies, in September 1956. Most American Universities will no longer accept the official use of the term "Oriental".
Objects, not people
Major objections to the use of the word "Oriental" are chiefly limited to certain elements in North America. Its use is much less controversial in Europe, where the word is in widespread usage. In Europe the term is used to describe such things as the East's cuisine and goods, ancient culture, and religions, at times to denote an exotic quality with upmarket or mildly positive connotations.
Some consider the term "oriental" to be an example of Eurocentrism, since they see it is as a term used to describe people and regions that are to the East only in relation to Western Europe. However it is ironic that the main opposition to the term comes from the United States where it is used to describe peoples and regions that are to the West relative to the Americas. However, traditionally, Western Europe has considered itself to be the West (of the Eurasian landmass), while the areas around Israel, Turkey, Greece and Egypt, have been considered to be near the center, hence the terms "Middle East" and "Mid-East".
Alternatives
It is increasingly common to insist on more neutral geographical terms when referring to "Oriental" people and places. This means using "West Asia", "South Asia", "East Asia" and "South-East Asia". In the early Twentieth century the term "Far Eastern" was used in preference to "Oriental" when referring to East Asia. More recently the term East Asian has replaced Far Eastern. However this term is problematic in itself in that it defines a region in relation to the rest of Asia with which it has no real connection. The terms "Asia and the Pacific" or "the Pacific Rim" or "the Pacific Basin" are coming into favor as alternatives. The terms "Middle Eastern" and "Westerner" follow the same pattern as "oriental", yet are subject to less controversy. The Orientalist Marhsall Hogdson tried to introduce several terms to refer to the wider Islamic region including "Nile-to-Oxus" however none of these have stuck. The term "West Asia" is, in many instances, becoming a common term for the Middle East, although it some times includes Iran and Afghanistan as well as Mesopotamia and the Levant thus adopting Hodgson's concept if not his coinages.
See also
External links
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