Heathens! Barbarians! Savages! When encountering a culture vastly different from their own, explorers often viewed the activities and traditions of a society new to them through a lens colored by their own values and experiences. Edward Said coined the word Orientalism to describe the assessments made by early western researchers of Middle and Eastern Asian cultures. A short video introduces viewers to the key concepts in Said's thought provoking book.

Concepts

prejudice, racism, asian culture, bias

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Have groups access the longer Macat analysis of Said's theories, research Said, and the controversies surrounding his works
• Use the video at the beginning of a study of cultures to caution class members about cultural bias

Classroom Considerations

• Ensure that the comment section is not visible when showing the video; many of the comments are not appropriate for the classroom
• Use with high school or college level sociology and/or anthropology classes

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• The video analysis is short but succinct

Cons

• Some viewers may find the comparison of Said's theory to a party fatuous