ایڈورڈ سعید بحیثیت شرق شناس

Abstract

Orientalism is an Urdu translation of the English book Orientalism published in 1978 by the famous Palestinian American Orientalist Professor Edward Saeed (1935-2003). It has been translated by Muhammad Abbas and published by National Language Authorit (National Language Promotion Department) Islamabad. Edward Saeed was one of the most prominent intellectuals of our time. Twenty of his books have been published on topics related to literature, culture, politics and linguistics, which have been translated into many languages of the world. The most thought-provoking book among them is Orientalism. This groundbreaking book provides a realistic critique of Orientalism that flourished under the shadow of Western imperialism. Professor Edward Saeed describes this branch of Western studies as a tool of the West's imperialist expansionism. According to him, the West invented this knowledge in order to dominate the East and to maintain its dominance. This mastery of western imperialism tries to re-interpret the eastern nations in the light of the past and present and keep them willing to accept the slavery of the slaves. Edward Said teaches the nations of the East to reject this imperialist ideology, not to accept distorted images of their past and to reclaim their own past.