- Modern Orientalism was influenced by scholars like Silvestre de Sacy and Ernest Renan. Sacy systematized Orientalism and established it as a scholarly field of study, though he presented only fragments of information about the Orient tailored for a European audience.
- Renan applied philology to the study of Oriental Semites and Semitic languages, treating them as inferior specimens in his linguistic laboratory experiments. He constructed polarized views of Semitic and Indo-European languages that reinforced European superiority.
- Later Orientalists built upon this framework, reducing the Orient to a set of generalized characteristics that could be scrutinized and explained according to European analytical methods and perspectives. They presented selective representations of
The Impact of Early Muslim Thoughts on the Renaissance Movement in the WestMohd Abbas Abdul Razak
This presentation intends to explain that there was a time in the history of the Muslims known as the ‘Golden Age of Islam’. During that period of time (750-1258), Muslims built their great civilization by merging science and spirituality. They were prepared to learn all that are positive and non-contradictory to their Muslim faith from others; particularly from the Greeks, Persians and Indians. At the peak of their civilization, Europeans came to learn at the Islamic centers for leaning and scientific investigation. In modern times, the West not only failed to acknowledge the contribution of the early Muslim scholars to the Renaissance movement, but also its obsession and passion for science took the masses away from God and spirituality. Looking into the present condition of the world, this presentation calls for an ideal situation that can solve violence, backwardness and moral decadence. It calls upon the West and the Muslim world to share with one another what they have. The West needs spirituality and the Muslim world needs science and technology. It is believed that through such an exchange and sharing between the two, a better world free of violence, hatred and moral decadence can be created.
First published on 2nd August 2005 in Buzzle
Excerpt:
With the Exodus dated at the times of Merenptah, Akhenaton antedates Moses by approximately 120 years; we can safely claim that the great grandfather of Moses lived at the times of Akhenaton. There is an ostensible continuation of ideas, ideological and philosophical, theological and literary approaches, with plenty of social - historical events ensuing from one another. The 'white terror' of the restored Amun Theban polytheism, as practiced by rulers imposed/controlled by or expressing the Theban priesthood, namely Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, Seti I and Ramses II, was detrimental for the early monotheistic party of Egypt and their adepts and followers, during the entire period between the collapse of Akhenaton's Amarna Monotheism and the Exodus. Under Moses, many Egyptians left their country along with the Hebrews. So, we can safely claim that without Akhenaton there would be no Moses – either this pleases Jewish, Christian and Muslim theologians or not.
“The emergence of spatial perspective for the first time gave consciousness the ability to fully accommodate a three-dimensional of perspectival worldview. This new awareness of perspective is seen clearly in the paintings of the Renaissance, but also appears in its literature, philosophy, and mathematics.” (Allan Combs. The Radiance of Being. 1996.)
HUM-100: PREHISTORY, MESOPOTAMIA, AND EGYPT (PT. 2)Francisco Pesante
Objectives:
1. Identify significant world events from Prehistory, ancient Mesopotamia, and ancient Egypt.
2. Identify example of the humanities in ancient civilizations, such as art, architecture, philosophy, music, and literature.
3. Identify major key examples from the humanities that reflect developments in world events and cultural patterns in Prehistory, ancient Mesopotamia, and ancient Egypt.
The slides contain information and data from reliable sources on the most significant contribution of the Romans to Science, Technology, and Philosophy.
The Impact of Early Muslim Thoughts on the Renaissance Movement in the WestMohd Abbas Abdul Razak
This presentation intends to explain that there was a time in the history of the Muslims known as the ‘Golden Age of Islam’. During that period of time (750-1258), Muslims built their great civilization by merging science and spirituality. They were prepared to learn all that are positive and non-contradictory to their Muslim faith from others; particularly from the Greeks, Persians and Indians. At the peak of their civilization, Europeans came to learn at the Islamic centers for leaning and scientific investigation. In modern times, the West not only failed to acknowledge the contribution of the early Muslim scholars to the Renaissance movement, but also its obsession and passion for science took the masses away from God and spirituality. Looking into the present condition of the world, this presentation calls for an ideal situation that can solve violence, backwardness and moral decadence. It calls upon the West and the Muslim world to share with one another what they have. The West needs spirituality and the Muslim world needs science and technology. It is believed that through such an exchange and sharing between the two, a better world free of violence, hatred and moral decadence can be created.
First published on 2nd August 2005 in Buzzle
Excerpt:
With the Exodus dated at the times of Merenptah, Akhenaton antedates Moses by approximately 120 years; we can safely claim that the great grandfather of Moses lived at the times of Akhenaton. There is an ostensible continuation of ideas, ideological and philosophical, theological and literary approaches, with plenty of social - historical events ensuing from one another. The 'white terror' of the restored Amun Theban polytheism, as practiced by rulers imposed/controlled by or expressing the Theban priesthood, namely Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, Seti I and Ramses II, was detrimental for the early monotheistic party of Egypt and their adepts and followers, during the entire period between the collapse of Akhenaton's Amarna Monotheism and the Exodus. Under Moses, many Egyptians left their country along with the Hebrews. So, we can safely claim that without Akhenaton there would be no Moses – either this pleases Jewish, Christian and Muslim theologians or not.
“The emergence of spatial perspective for the first time gave consciousness the ability to fully accommodate a three-dimensional of perspectival worldview. This new awareness of perspective is seen clearly in the paintings of the Renaissance, but also appears in its literature, philosophy, and mathematics.” (Allan Combs. The Radiance of Being. 1996.)
HUM-100: PREHISTORY, MESOPOTAMIA, AND EGYPT (PT. 2)Francisco Pesante
Objectives:
1. Identify significant world events from Prehistory, ancient Mesopotamia, and ancient Egypt.
2. Identify example of the humanities in ancient civilizations, such as art, architecture, philosophy, music, and literature.
3. Identify major key examples from the humanities that reflect developments in world events and cultural patterns in Prehistory, ancient Mesopotamia, and ancient Egypt.
The slides contain information and data from reliable sources on the most significant contribution of the Romans to Science, Technology, and Philosophy.
The focus of this paper is on the place of Hegel’s idea of the Absolute in African philosophy. It
simply suggests a metaphysical theme both in context and content. It is at the same time aimed at making an assertive portray of African philosophy from a comparative perspective and its restriction is on the idealist philosophy of Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel a German philosopher.
HUM-100: PREHISTORY, MESOPOTAMIA, AND EGYPT (PT. 1)Francisco Pesante
Objectives:
1. Identify significant world events from Prehistory, ancient Mesopotamia, and ancient Egypt.
2. Identify example of the humanities in ancient civilizations, such as art, architecture, philosophy, music, and literature.
3. Identify major key examples from the humanities that reflect developments in world events and cultural patterns in Prehistory, ancient Mesopotamia, and ancient Egypt.
Inspired by Traditionalism: Eliade and his Shamanism BookAndre Znamenski
Andrei Znamenski, University of Memphis, TN, talks about traditionalism as philosophy that inspired Mircea Eliade to write his book on Shamanism. Seminar at the Institute of Cultural Research and Art, Tartu University, Estonia, June 14, 2016
THE PLATONIC AND NEOPLATONIC TRADITIONS AND ROOTS OF CHRISTIANITYDr Ian Ellis-Jones
Excerpts from a major thesis written by Dr Ian Ellis-Jones - copyright Ian Ellis-Jones - all rights reserved - for information only - commercial use (except by copyright holder) prohibited
The focus of this paper is on the place of Hegel’s idea of the Absolute in African philosophy. It
simply suggests a metaphysical theme both in context and content. It is at the same time aimed at making an assertive portray of African philosophy from a comparative perspective and its restriction is on the idealist philosophy of Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel a German philosopher.
HUM-100: PREHISTORY, MESOPOTAMIA, AND EGYPT (PT. 1)Francisco Pesante
Objectives:
1. Identify significant world events from Prehistory, ancient Mesopotamia, and ancient Egypt.
2. Identify example of the humanities in ancient civilizations, such as art, architecture, philosophy, music, and literature.
3. Identify major key examples from the humanities that reflect developments in world events and cultural patterns in Prehistory, ancient Mesopotamia, and ancient Egypt.
Inspired by Traditionalism: Eliade and his Shamanism BookAndre Znamenski
Andrei Znamenski, University of Memphis, TN, talks about traditionalism as philosophy that inspired Mircea Eliade to write his book on Shamanism. Seminar at the Institute of Cultural Research and Art, Tartu University, Estonia, June 14, 2016
THE PLATONIC AND NEOPLATONIC TRADITIONS AND ROOTS OF CHRISTIANITYDr Ian Ellis-Jones
Excerpts from a major thesis written by Dr Ian Ellis-Jones - copyright Ian Ellis-Jones - all rights reserved - for information only - commercial use (except by copyright holder) prohibited
define syncretism and discuss examples of it within South Asian Isla.pdfarihantcomp1008
define syncretism and discuss examples of it within South Asian Islam and Hinduism. Also, after
reading this chapter how can you view Islam as a \"plurality of traditions\" (201) rather than as a
single monolithic entity?
Solution
Syncretism—the process whereby two or more independent cultural systems, or elements
thereof, conjoin to form a new and distinct system—is among the most important factors in the
evolution of culture in general, but especially in the history of religion. Indeed, all of the so-
called world religions, that is, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and
Confucianism, are to a fair extent syncretistic.
Syncretism is a union or attempted fusion of different religions, cultures, or philosophies — like
Halloween, which has both Christian and pagan roots, or the combination of Aristotelian
philosophy with the belief system of the early punk rock practitioners.
Syncretism, as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary, is “the reconciliation or fusion of
differing systems of belief.” This is most evident in the areas of philosophy and religion, and
usually results in a new teaching or belief system. Obviously, this cannot be reconciled to
biblical Christianity.
Example - Classical and modern Hinduism can be characterized as a grand syncretism between
the indigenous Dravidian belief systems of northern India, as reflected in the artifacts of the
Indus Valley civilization, and those carried into India in the middle of the second millennium
b.c.e. by the Aryans, whose beliefs were a variant of those carried by Indo-European speakers
across Eurasia from India to Western Europe. One of the best examples is the major Hindu god
Shiva, the third member of the trinity that includes Brahma and Vishnu. Shiva is often called
\"the Lord of Beasts,\" and an Indus Valley stamp seal found at Mohenjo Daro dating from about
1800 b.c.e. shows a god seated in the lotus position and surrounded by animals. This figure\'s
connection with the later iconography of Shiva is clear, and thus strongly suggests that the god in
question reflects a syncretism of the ancient Dravidian and Aryan religions. Even the fully
evolved Hindu caste system involves an amalgamation of the Aryan tripartite social class system,
which they shared with other ancient Indo-European-speaking communities, and the indigenous
emphasis on occupation groups, which is clearly evident in the physical layout of the chief Indus
Valley cities: Mohenjo Daro and Harappa.
The 19th century, besides being the age of the so-called humanist sciences (philology,
comparative linguistics, history, history of religions, etc.), was at the same time the age of
European colonialism(12). Since colonial expansion was \"the background of all relations with
Islam in the nineteenth century\", traditional anti-Islamism was rationalized by leading
academics into an ideological legitimation of Europe\'s colonial wars(13). Its culminating
construction was the concept of the so-called \"homo isl.
Contents
Introduction
I. A fictional concept: the origin of the fraud
II. A construct based on posterior textual sources
III. The deceitful presentation
IV. 5th century BCE texts found in 15th c. CE manuscripts do not make 'History'.
V. Abundant evidence of lies and deliberate distortions attested in the manuscript transmission
VI. Darius I the Great, the Behistun inscription, and Ctesias
VII. The historical Assyrian Queen Shammuramat and the fictional Queen Semiramis of the 'Ancient Greek sources'
VIII. The malignant intentions of the Benedictine liars: from the historical Darius I the Great to the fictional Semiramis
IX. The vicious distortions of the Benedictine liars: from Ctesias to Herodotus
The Renaissance Essay
The Harlem Renaissance Essay
Essay on The European Renaissance
Renaissance Essay
The Modern Renaissance Essay
Renaissance Inventions
Essay On The Renaissance
Essay on The Early Renaissance
The Renaissance Essay
Renaissance Art Essay
Renaissance Essay
Essay about The European Renaissance
The Renaissance Essay
Essay about The European Renaissance
Essay On The Renaissance
The Renaissance Era Essay
Essay on The European Renaissance
The Renaissance Essay
The Renaissance Essay
Renaissance Essay
Essay on The Renaissance
Exploring the Mindfulness Understanding Its Benefits.pptxMartaLoveguard
Slide 1: Title: Exploring the Mindfulness: Understanding Its Benefits
Slide 2: Introduction to Mindfulness
Mindfulness, defined as the conscious, non-judgmental observation of the present moment, has deep roots in Buddhist meditation practice but has gained significant popularity in the Western world in recent years. In today's society, filled with distractions and constant stimuli, mindfulness offers a valuable tool for regaining inner peace and reconnecting with our true selves. By cultivating mindfulness, we can develop a heightened awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and surroundings, leading to a greater sense of clarity and presence in our daily lives.
Slide 3: Benefits of Mindfulness for Mental Well-being
Practicing mindfulness can help reduce stress and anxiety levels, improving overall quality of life.
Mindfulness increases awareness of our emotions and teaches us to manage them better, leading to improved mood.
Regular mindfulness practice can improve our ability to concentrate and focus our attention on the present moment.
Slide 4: Benefits of Mindfulness for Physical Health
Research has shown that practicing mindfulness can contribute to lowering blood pressure, which is beneficial for heart health.
Regular meditation and mindfulness practice can strengthen the immune system, aiding the body in fighting infections.
Mindfulness may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity by reducing stress and improving overall lifestyle habits.
Slide 5: Impact of Mindfulness on Relationships
Mindfulness can help us better understand others and improve communication, leading to healthier relationships.
By focusing on the present moment and being fully attentive, mindfulness helps build stronger and more authentic connections with others.
Mindfulness teaches us how to be present for others in difficult times, leading to increased compassion and understanding.
Slide 6: Mindfulness Techniques and Practices
Focusing on the breath and mindful breathing can be a simple way to enter a state of mindfulness.
Body scan meditation involves focusing on different parts of the body, paying attention to any sensations and feelings.
Practicing mindful walking and eating involves consciously focusing on each step or bite, with full attention to sensory experiences.
Slide 7: Incorporating Mindfulness into Daily Life
You can practice mindfulness in everyday activities such as washing dishes or taking a walk in the park.
Adding mindfulness practice to daily routines can help increase awareness and presence.
Mindfulness helps us become more aware of our needs and better manage our time, leading to balance and harmony in life.
Slide 8: Summary: Embracing Mindfulness for Full Living
Mindfulness can bring numerous benefits for physical and mental health.
Regular mindfulness practice can help achieve a fuller and more satisfying life.
Mindfulness has the power to change our perspective and way of perceiving the world, leading to deeper se
The Good News, newsletter for June 2024 is hereNoHo FUMC
Our monthly newsletter is available to read online. We hope you will join us each Sunday in person for our worship service. Make sure to subscribe and follow us on YouTube and social media.
Why is this So? ~ Do Seek to KNOW (English & Chinese).pptxOH TEIK BIN
A PowerPoint Presentation based on the Dhamma teaching of Kamma-Vipaka (Intentional Actions-Ripening Effects).
A Presentation for developing morality, concentration and wisdom and to spur us to practice the Dhamma diligently.
The texts are in English and Chinese.
In Jude 17-23 Jude shifts from piling up examples of false teachers from the Old Testament to a series of practical exhortations that flow from apostolic instruction. He preserves for us what may well have been part of the apostolic catechism for the first generation of Christ-followers. In these instructions Jude exhorts the believer to deal with 3 different groups of people: scoffers who are "devoid of the Spirit", believers who have come under the influence of scoffers and believers who are so entrenched in false teaching that they need rescue and pose some real spiritual risk for the rescuer. In all of this Jude emphasizes Jesus' call to rescue straying sheep, leaving the 99 safely behind and pursuing the 1.
2 Peter 3: Because some scriptures are hard to understand and some will force them to say things God never intended, Peter warns us to take care.
https://youtu.be/nV4kGHFsEHw
The Chakra System in our body - A Portal to Interdimensional Consciousness.pptxBharat Technology
each chakra is studied in greater detail, several steps have been included to
strengthen your personal intention to open each chakra more fully. These are designed
to draw forth the highest benefit for your spiritual growth.
Discover various methods for clearing negative entities from your space and spirit, including energy clearing techniques, spiritual rituals, and professional assistance. Gain practical knowledge on how to implement these techniques to restore peace and harmony. For more information visit here: https://www.reikihealingdistance.com/negative-entity-removal/
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, and is the first book of the Deuteronomistic history, the story of Israel from the conquest of Canaan to the Babylonian exile.
Kenneth Grant - Against the Light-Holmes Pub Grou Llc (1999).pdf
Orientalism maimoona
1. Orientalist structuring and Restructuring
I
Redrawn Frontiers, Redefined
Issues, Secularized Religion
Post-colonial theory owes a lot to works of two intellectuals i.e. Franz Fanon with his
Wretched of the Earth and Edward Said's Orientalism. Although a lot of criticism has been
directed at Edward‟s nearly one-dimensional portrayal of the European Imperialism and its
debated, but his feat really lies in successfully redefining the term Orientalism to mean
myriad of false assumptions constructed by West about the East. The book revolutionized the
way Western scholars and critics viewed the representations of the non-Western subjects and
cultures.
Edward Said through example of Gustave Flaubert's unfinished comic novel, comes to
highlight "discipline or type of knowledge changes from hope and power into disorder, ruin
and sorrow". The Western mind of nineteenth century envisioned quite naively, a Europe
regenerated by Asia, a sort of Romantic ideals, an utopist imagining of a reconstructive world
according to some scientific or secular religion. And roots of such reconstructive outlook can
be traced back to late eighteenth century romanticism which idealized the concept of death
and rebirth, of paradise lost and paradise regained in Christian beliefs, and sought to revive
them by reconstituting them in a secular light; that they be intellectually acceptable in the
context of newly enlightened minds of Enlightenment period. Thus this idea of " regeneration
of Europe by Asia" is essentially a Romantic ideal; which pervaded the mindset of early
Orientalists hose hopes of rejuvenation of European Occidental culture, lied in studying
Orient; They believe it could defeat the materialism that plagued the culture by bringing back
the sense of "holy mission" they had now lost, basically bringing back their lost Christian
identity under the mask of secularized enlightenment.
However, this idealism was flawed as both Flaubert and Edward point out by an
unconscious arrogance for what mattered was not Asia, rather its "use to modern Europe",
Europe defined itself in relation to Orient, just as it had created Orient. At the end of the day,
2. it was "our Europe" and "our Asia" which was to be pragmatically divided into smaller,
manageable geographical units and ruled. What these visionaries failed to consider was that
their utopian theories could not be reconciled with reality. For example, the power their
scientific advancement had bestowed upon them was not without vanity or ego. Europe
considering itself superior was not about to deal with the primitive Orient as equals. As such
there could be no regeneration of Europe by Asia.
Said has been influenced by Foucault's notion of power and knowledge and Gramsci's
concept of hegemony; which manifests itself in his Orientalism where he exposes how
knowledge has been constructed, either wittingly or unwittingly, Orientalists have been a part
of this Foucauldian discourse which has ascribed meaning to orient and defend the stereotype
associated with it of being sensual, irrational, primitive, exotic, wild undisciplined and
backward. These stereotypes have been unchallenged in every succeeding generation of
so-called Orientalists who have only uncritically rephrased these discourses. They have
nothing original to offer as their whole field of Oriental studies has from the very beginning
been based on reconstructing and repetition of stereotypes. What this unvaryingly biased
study of orient managed was that complex with imperial power it was presented as absolute
knowledge imposing negative meaning upon the orient. It justified the imperialist expansion
of the west and also worked to convince the natives of their backwardness, whilst the Western
culture represented the universal culture. Such was the general scope? of Orientalism till start
of eighteenth century, when Orient was generally associate with Islamic Middle East and
these notions were passed down medieval and Renaissance period. However during
eighteenth century a newer and more modern view of orient came into being owing to
expansion of European exploration and colonies beyond Muslim lands, widening their
horizon with exploration of India China, Japan etc which introduced them to Sumer,
Buddhism, Sanskrit, Zoroastrian and Manu. Thus the Christianity or Judaism no longer
formed a framework of European outlook. however, Europe's ethnocentric perspective were
fortified as colonies were created through companies like East India Company, for Europe
remained in the privileged center as the main observe, "othering" the rest of the world. The
second Factor that helped form the modern oriental view was the fact that history was viewed
through a perspective other then Judeo-Christian one, which was a shift towards objectivity,
3. something historical narratives of past lacked and history being solely subjective to
imagination and biases of historians narrating it. Now however, Europe instead of educing
these oriental histories allowed them to speak for themselves. Arab history! As dealt with in
terms of their sources, Holy Quran commented upon by Islamic religious scholars. This
detachment where previously they had had antagonism was probably motivated by European
man's curiosity to "know himself better". He thus employed the overly simplistic technique of
comparatism, which only served the marginalization of the other. The differences were only
ever taken to be abnormal, even in this newfound objectivity. On the other hand there was a
kind of selective identification with different cultures and with the common "spirit" which
binds them all together. This sympathetic attitude in comparison, led to e possibility of seeing
beyond the limiting borders of doctrines or religions between West and Islam and establishing
a kinship between West and Orient. Representation of Orient varied vivid images of luxury
and exoticism was still associated with orient. It was still mainly a region of "sensuality,
promise, terror, sublimity, idyllic pleasure, intense energy". Thus "Oriental was referred to
"chamelion-like quality. The pre-romantic notions of Orient still existed.
The forth element which played a part in forming the modern Orientalist structure was
classification of human beings further beyond the binary of Christian and non-Christian, (or
gentile sacred nations vs. barbarians). The nations were classified on basis of race, color,
origin, temperament and character. particular characteristics, both physical and moral, were
associated with particular races e.g. the American is "red, choleric, erect" , an Asian is
"yellow, melancholy, rigid" and the African is "black, phlegmatic, lax". By nineteenth century
these classification gather power and authority as they became attached to genetic type. Thus
an Oriental was genetically "primitive".
Even as the view of Orient was modernized and somewhat secularized, old religious
dogmas still haunted the field of study. 18th century patterns of religious framework of
history weren't discarded but reconstituted; it remained alive in the undercurrent of Oriental
discourse, through structures of language and vocabulary it had created for Orient. The
modern Orientalist may congratulate himself for saving the Orient from so-called historical
obscurity and bringing to light the alienated and strange cultures but in fact this cultural
decoding at best managed to reconstruct the classical Orient. He was to become the authority
4. on Orient, speaking for the Orient, such are the ways power and knowledge operate: "it put
into cultural circulation a form of discursive currency by whose presence the Orient
henceforth would be spoken for". By the end of First World War, 85% of the world had been
colonized and Orientalism formed a major part of this encroachment. From intellectual
accumulation West went on to accumulate both human beings and territories of Orient.
II
Silvestre de Sacyand Ernest Renan:
Rational Anthropology andPhilological Laboratory
Modern Orientalism owes its initial credit to Silvestre de Sacy and Ernest Renan.
Sacy‟s works are known for their „heroic effort‟ and „rational utility‟. As a master of Arabic,
he had a good exposure of the orient. He laid the foundations of modern Orientalism by
giving it a systematic shape. His work based this institution on educational grounds and
scholarly tradition. For the first time, the subject matter was taken from the Orient itself.
Most of his works are not novel rather revised form of the earlier material. He wrote with a
didactic purpose and with the intention of conveying the best for his students. He attempted
to bring into limelight the facts about the Orient which have remained hidden from Europe.
By using „powerful‟ examples from the Orient, which have the ability to signify it, he has
displayed the Orient for his disciples.
Sacy introduced a historical consciousness in the study of Orientalism. In this
continuum, he wrote the book Tableau historique de l’eruditionfrancaise, which brought the
knowledge about the Orient within the range of the people. A great addition was done by
Napoleon‟s expeditions of the Orient, which helped to enhance the modern geographical
knowledge. In addition to that, the relationship between an Orientalist and his „subject matter‟
was explained as well. Sacy introduced a well-defined vocabulary in this field that was to lay
foundations of modern Orientalism. As a result, formal methods were defined to study the
Orient and such examples were quotes „that even Orientals didn‟t have‟. Designing the
Orientalism as a field is on Sacy‟s credit.
Sacy explained how the Arabic poetry needed to be transformed to suit the taste of
the Europeans‟ and it was the job of the Orientalist to take this pain. He also believed that the
5. Orient was too crude to appreciate the high interests and taste of the Europe. He introduced
his theory of fragmentation which stated that since Orient could not be presented as a whole,
only fragments should be picked up that are appropriate for the interest of the European
audience. Hence a new genre, namely „chrestomathy‟, was introduced. His anthologies
expertly cover the censorship carried by the Orientalists and give an impression of
naturalness despite being a collection of the fragments. Thus the reader only takes in the
reconstructed image of the Orient as portrayed by the Orientalist. The thin distinction
between the original Orient and that of the Orientalist becomes indistinguishable. Sacy‟s
works „canonized the Orient‟. Pioneer of this field though he was, however, he was soon
replaced by the newer versions of the Orientalists after many texts from the Orient were
translated.
Philology has been defined by Renan as "science of humanity" whereas Nietzsche
considered himself a philologist. Words and the history of the impressions and indentations in
meanings they have gone through, for him conveyed an adventure. Philology provided the
insight into language where history of words have both aesthetic and historical power. Renan
was interested in the scientific historical narration philology offered as opposed to
constructed history propagated by Catholic Church (Renan once considered clergy as a
career). He saw philology and modern culture intertwined stating "the founders of modern
minds are philologists". Philology offered "rationalism, criticism, liberalism" and as a
comparative discipline it clearly sees through supernaturalism (of religion) to reality of
scientific developments. And Above all else it offers a powerful position to philologists who
through "judging, comparing, combining, inducing" arrive at the system of things. Philology
studies evolution of language, when language itself is a symbol of power, forming the very
structures through which power operates , indirectly it is a study of evolution of power. In this
view, Renan's contribution to Orientalism is significant, for Orientalism was developed on
scientific and rational basis. The claim of divine origin of language was discarded
philologically, and Sanskrit was found to out-date Hebrew. Renan studied Orient
philologically and infused into the field a scientific attitude. Orientalism owes much of its
technical terminology and vocabulary to him
Up till now, India and China was considered to constitute the Orient but now Renin
6. opted to devise another form, which came to be known as Semitic Orient. He aimed to bring
the previously unknown „inferior‟ languages of the Semitic into limelight and study them as a
science. He was of the view that Semite and Semitic were the „creation‟ of philosophy.
Creation was taken in the sense that these languages were taken out of their hidden places and
given voice. They were also made available for comparison by devising a system for
classifying languages into Indo-European and Semitic. To study about the origins of
Christianity and Semitics was his field of specialization.
Semitic, considered to be a crude phenomenon held the central position as a branch of
the Orient. It was placed in the inverse relation to the „normal languages‟. In this discourse,
Renan achieved expertise through extensive reading along with observation. However, Renan
treats everything related to the Orient or the Semitic to be below the standards. The Semitic
was, therefore, he declares to be inferior to human race in every course of life. At the same
time, he reminds his readers that his depictions are merely on „prototypes‟ rather than
anything from real life. Hence, the tenants of Semitic are reduced to laboratory „specimens‟
instead of being regarded living creatures.
In his book Histoire generaleetsysteme compare des languages semitiques, Renan draws
an analogy between anatomy and linguistics. Like anatomy discovers the internal
arrangement of things which is mostly hypothetical, linguistics constructs the paradigm of
proto-Sematic and Proto-Indo-European. They are the products of laboratory available in the
exaggerated form for the public. The Orientalists take out only those examples of the Orient
which depict their inferiority and then use it as a base to give their verdict on it. Since
linguistics does not have the ability to classify like anatomy, it uses the binary structure of
comparative nature for this purpose. This makes the Indo-European and the Semitic stand in
contrast to each other where the former is more live; in fact, „organic‟ while the latter,
„inorganic‟.
In Renan‟s view, Semitic is all about comparing the infant phenomenon with more
developed languages of rest of the world. Ironically, on one hand he preaches that all
languages belong to the people of the nature, while on the other, he completely discards the
Semitic as a „live language‟ or Semites as „live creatures‟. The Orientalist scientist, thus,
„constructs‟ a vision that keeps these polar phenomenon at one place. This authority to define
7. the world reflects the imperial power Europe enjoys and the philological laboratories are the
powerhouse of generating ethnocentrism. Renan‟s genius, however, lies in the fact that he
gives life to the artificially fabricated image of the Orient so much so that it seems real.
Appearing in textual form, such images have a glimpse of live cultures.
Philology changed in its nature from being the „study of words‟ to a more complex arena
of knowledge and philosophy. Renan believed in the power of words as they shackled the
otherwise „free Man‟ into the chains of morality and other forms of awareness. It was the lab
of this philology, which declared the culture to be a constructed phenomenon, hence denying
the Orient any right to generate itself on its own. It was the philological laboratory that Renan
introduced new aspects of culture and society but added to the lucidity in the subject matter
of the Orient and gave it a scholarly shape. However, this lab failed to maintain an objective
view in the presence of its sense of superiority.
III
Oriental Residenceand Scholarship:
The Requirements ofLexicography and Imagination
Renan‟s views of Oriental Semite belong, less to prejudice and common anti-Semitism and
more too scientific Oriental philology. Both Renan and Saucy‟s works observe the way
cultural generalization had begun to acquire a new phase of scientific statement and
corrective study. Modern Orientalism defines its subject matter in a viselike grip which held a
power to sustain everything. Thus a new vocabulary and its function developed and placed
Orient in a comparative frame work which is rarely descriptive and more evaluative and
explanatory. Renan comparing involve analogies of Indo- European families as „what a pencil
sketch is to painting, it lacks that variety, that amplitude, that abundance of life which is the
condition of perfectibility‟. Renan view Indo-Europeans as an incomplete race which has
never been able to achieve height of sensibility and maturity attained by Indo-Germanic races.
Renan and Saucy reduce the Orient to a kind of human flatness by removing from it its
humanity, which easily expose its characteristics to scrutiny. Renan took his concepts from
philology, in which ideological beliefs encourage the reduction of language to its roots and
connect these linguistics roots to race, mind, and temperament. In Renan works there are
8. many anti-Semitic strictures. His works attack on the sensitive issues like Islam as in one of
his work he says that “the sword of Muhammad and the Kor‟an, are the most stubborn
enemies of Civilization, Liberty, and the Truth which the world has yet known”. The
professional Orientalist job is to piece together a portrait of the Orient, their work is only
confine to supply the material, but the narrative shape, continuity and figures are constructed
by the scholars. Their scholarship consists of avoiding the unruly (un-Occidental) nonhistory
of the Orient with orderly chronicles, portraits and plots. Many of the earliest amateur
Orientals began by welcoming the Orient as a beneficial „derangement‟ of their European
habits of mind and spirit. The Orient was misinterpreted for its pantheism, its spirituality, its
stability, its longevity, its primitivity, and so forth. Orientalism as a profession grew out of
compensation, and correction based on inequality
Caussin de Perceval‟s EssaisurPhistoire des ArabesavantPlslamise, pendant de Mahomet, is
one such example which is wholly professional in nature. The information present in the
book depends for its sources on documents made available internally to the field by other
Orientalists or documents like ibn-Khaldun. Caussin‟s thesis is that the Arabs were made a
people by Mohammed, Islam being essentially a political instrument, not by any means a
spiritual one. The consequences that merge out of the study of Islam are quite literally one
dimensional portrait of Mohammed. A nonprofessional correspondent to Caussin‟s
Mohammad is Carlyle‟s, a Mohammed. In a quite different light he overlooked all the
historical and cultural circumstances. His essay argues on some general ideas like sincerity,
heroism, and prophet hood.
Within the comparative field that Orientalism became after philological revolution of the
early nineteenth century, the Orient in itself was subordinated intellectually to the West. The
Orient acquired all the marks of an inherent weakness, and became a subject to various
theories. Many orientalists used Oriental Islam justifying the British intrusion in the Crimean
War. The Orient was usefully employed as conversation in the various salons of Paris. What
the early Orientalist achieve, what the non-Orientalist in the West exploited, was the reduced
model of Orient suitable for the prevalent dominant culture. Karl Marx identified the notion
of an Asiatic economic system in his 1853 analysis of British rule in India and beside that the
human plunder introduce into this system by English colonial outright cruelty and
9. interference. His articles pose conviction to the idea that even after destroying Asia, Britain
was making possible there a real social revolution. Marx style focuses on the difficulty of
reconciling our natural hatred as fellow creatures to the suffering of Orientals while their
societies are transformed violently by the historical necessities. “Oriental despotism has
restrained the human mind with in the smallest compass making it the unresisting tool of
superstition enslaving it beneath the traditional rules, depriving it of all grandeur and
historical energies […] England was the conscious tool of history in bringing about the
revolution”. In the end Marx conception about the Orient had Romantic or messianic sources.
Even though Marx had sympathy for human misery but his analysis were perfectly fitted for
the Orientalist lens advocating Romantic Orientalist views. “England has to fulfill a double
mission in India: one destructive, the other regenerating __the annihilation of the Asiatic
society and the laying of the material foundations of Western society in Asia”. The idea of
regenerating fundamentally lifeless India is purely a Romantic Orientalism. The reason why
Marx left his sympathy and dispatched himself to Goethe as a source of wisdom on the Orient
was the individual mind was overpowered with precollective and preofficial individuality in
Asia.
In nineteenth century a modern professional terminology and practice were created whose
existence dominated discourse about the Orients, whether by Orientalist or non-Orientalist.
An arduous mechanism was created specifically for Orient which consists of omnicompetent
definitions based solely on personal human experiences. There is another tradition that
claimed its lawfulness from the peculiarly compelling fact of residence in actual existential
contact with Orient. The Napoleonic expedition defines the tradition‟s earlier contours which
influence all Orientalist residence later on. To reside in the Orient is to live the privileged life,
not of an ordinary citizen, but of representative European whose empire (French or British)
contains the Orient in its military, economic, and above all, cultural arms Oriental residence.
These scholarly fruits fed into the bookish tradition of the textual attitudes found in Renan
and Sacy. These personal events and testimony gets converted into official codes of
Orientalist science.
To be a European in the Orient always involves being a consciousness set apart from, and
unequal with, its surroundings and the main thing is to note the intention of this
10. consciousness. There are small number of intentional categories which proposed themselves
systematically. One: the writer who intend to use his residence for a specific task of providing
professional Orientalism with specific material, taking his residence as a form of scientific
observation. Two: the writer who intends the same purpose but is less willing to sacrifice the
eccentricity and style of his individual consciousness to impersonal Oriental definitions.
Three: the writer for whom a real or metaphorical trip to the Orient is the fulfillment of some
deeply felt and urgent project. His text is therefore built on personal aesthetic, fed and
informed by the project. These three categories are not so separate from each other as they
rely upon the sheer egoistic powers of the Europeans at their center. The vision of Orient is
seen as a place of pilgrimage, or as a spectacle.
Lane‟s book on the Egyptians was influential as it established its author‟s reputation as an
eminent figure in Orientalism scholarship. He is quoted as a source ok knowledge about
Egypt or Arabia. The function of author in his book Modern Egyptians is less strong as his
work was disseminated into profession and institutionalized. Lane was able to submerge
himself among the natives to live as they did to conform their habits, and “to escape exciting,
in strangers any suspicion of… being a person who had no right to intrude among them”. He
lives among them as a native and wrote about them for the Europeans observing their rituals,
festivals, customs, adulthood and burial. As a narrator Lane is working on both scale he is
exhibiting and exhibitor, winning both confidences at once: the Oriental one for engaging
companionship and the Western one for authoritative useful knowledge.
On the one hand Orientalism acquired Orient as literally and as widely as possible; on the
other hand, it domesticated the knowledge of Orient to the West for the West. Thus the Orient
was converted from the personal testimony of valiant voyager and residents into impersonal
definitions of scientific workers. By the middle of the nineteenth century the Orient had
become, as Disreali said, a career, one in which one could remake and restore not only the
Orient but also oneself.