Orientalism
Score Classic
What it's about
Edward Said argues that Western scholarship, art and literature about "the East" — the peoples of Asia, North Africa and the Middle East — built a patronizing, distorted image of them, and that this knowledge was bound up with the empires that produced it. Studying writers and scholars from the 18th century on, he shows how ideas about the Orient served power.
Why it's worth reading
It's on TIME's list of the 100 best nonfiction books and the Guardian's 100 best nonfiction books of all time. It founded the field of postcolonial studies and is still argued over today.
You'll love it if you liked
Imagined Communities, The Souls of Black Folk or A Room of One's Own
Good to know
It's academic in style and dense in places. It's best read with patience, and the introduction lays out the whole argument.
Quick answers
Is Orientalism worth reading?
Yes. It's on TIME's list of the 100 best nonfiction books and the Guardian's 100 best nonfiction books of all time. It ranks #239 of the 2,819 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 82.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Orientalism about?
Edward Said argues that Western scholarship, art and literature about "the East" — the peoples of Asia, North Africa and the Middle East — built a patronizing, distorted image of them, and that this knowledge was bound up with the empires that produced it. Studying writers and scholars from the 18th century on, he shows how ideas about the Orient served power.
How long does it take to read Orientalism?
About 10 hours (395 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Orientalism?
If you liked it, try Imagined Communities by Benedict Anderson, The Souls of Black Folk by WEB Du Bois or A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf.
By the numbers
- Readers78 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics80 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller24 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On 2 canon lists, including TIME All-TIME 100 Nonfiction.
Where it ranks
- #6 of the 44 politics books we rank
- #43 of the 198 history books we rank
- #75 of the 763 classics we rank
- #239 of the 2,819 books we rank
On the lists
- TIME All-TIME 100 Nonfiction
- Guardian 100 Best Nonfiction Books of All Time
Reads as
True story
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