Key Concepts in Orientalism and Racism

These flashcards cover key concepts related to Orientalism, racism, and representation in media, helping to understand how knowledge and power interact and shape perceptions of different cultures.

Orientalism

The way Western countries thought about, studied, and controlled 'the Orient' (Middle East, North Africa, parts of Asia), establishing a system that defined and dominated it.

Discourse

A structured way of talking and thinking about something that gives power to those who create it.

Knowledge = Power

The concept that whoever defines what something is gains control over it, notably applied to the West's production of knowledge about the Orient.

Racism

A system that assigns value, hierarchy, and social significance to physical differences, maintaining the concept of race through discrimination and oppression.

Ideology

A system of ideas that justifies or explains how society should work, particularly in the context of racism as a structure supporting power.

Reception Theory

The idea that audiences interpret media differently based on their culture, experience, or perspective, affecting the meaning of the media.

Representation as Constitutive

The view that representation not only reflects reality but also helps create it, shaping public understanding of events and ideas.

Double-meaning of Representation

The concept that representation serves both to depict something and to stand in for it, shaping how we understand reality.

Orientalism in Media

The portrayal of the East in a manner that exoticizes and simplifies it for Western audiences, reinforcing stereotypes and power dynamics.

Social Construction of Race

The idea that race is not biologically determined but culturally and historically constructed through social systems and beliefs.