From Theory to Discussion Orientalism and History From Past to Present

Introduction

Orientalism is a word that has different meanings in terms of concept, scope, and terminology. It is possible to see the traces of the Question dê Orient in the interpretation and perception of this word, where different definitions and associations are made periodically. The word “Orientalism”, which stretches out from Ancient Greece to the Assyrian Empire, has been used in many ways both as a description of a geographical area and in terms of the comparison of civilizations. There are even claims that Asia and Europe, salip (cross=Christianity) and crescent (Islam), are a struggle between Turks and European tribes (Topçubası, 2000, p. 23-26; Kızılcık, 2018, p. 152). However, this concept began to gain its modern meaning in the first quarter of the 14^th century with the establishment of a department at some universities by the Church Council of Vienna to encourage the research of Eastern languages and cultures. In 1683, it appeared as a reference to a member of the “East” or “Greek Church”. In 1691, Anthony Wood introduced Samuel Clark as “orientalian” in the sense of “someone who knows some Eastern languages” (Bulut, 2012a, 428). However, Sylvestre de Sacy (1758-1838), who founded the Societe Asiatique (Asiatic Society) in 1822, is considered the founder of Orientalism.

Orientalism is also described as intellectual imperialism, and the interest in orientalism has increased dramatically since the 14^th century. In addition to this, it has caught its real rise and popularity after Edward Said's work “Orientalism” published in 1978. After this year, it developed methodologically over time and created an academic discipline and brought perspective to the science of history. The interaction between orientalism and history has continuously developed in a positive direction, and accordingly, the use of the concept of orientalism in the discipline of history has increased (Said, 2014, p. 1-412).

The subject of orientalism is generally discussed by both Western and Eastern researchers from a religious-centered perspective. However, this issue can be understood by analyzing in terms of inter-communal and socio-economic-cultural interactions and perceptions. In this respect, revealing the relationship between orientalism and history strengthens the originality claim of this book chapter. In addition to this, considering that mission of history science is not just “past”, knowledge about the current debates of orientalism is significant in analyzing the situation. This makes it necessary to research the “orientalism-history-media” equation. In short, the reflections of orientalism in media are also addressed in order to reach the current knowledge in this section. Therefore, it has been tried to reveal how a historical issue evolved in the 19^th century.

In this section, the definition, meaning, emergence, theoretical framework of the concept of orientalism, and its institutionalization journey from antiquity to the present are explained in general terms. Hence, although the scope of the study seems to be very broad in terms of time, it is limited by considering the terminological, chronological, and anachronistic historiography. This study aims to establish orientalism as a science and to reveal the relationship between orientalism and history. In this direction, the role played by orientalism in the historical background of East-West dualism is emphasized. Therefore, it was concluded that orientalism is not only a means of cultural interaction, but also causes historical divisions and social deterioration. Books and study works, periodicals, and internet resources were used to investigate the subject.

This study mainly aims to reveal the birth, development, change over time, philosophical background, and paradigms of the concept of Orientalism with its historical dimension. The fact that the scientific researches on Orientalism were mostly carried out by theologians revealed the importance of evaluating the issue from the angle of historical events.