More than three decades after its first publication, Edward Said's groundbreaking critique of the West's historical, cultural, and political perceptions of the East has become a modern classic.

In this wide-ranging, intellectually vigorous study, Said traces the origins of "orientalism" to the centuries-long period during which Europe dominated the Middle and Near East and, from its position of power, defined "the orient" simply as "other than" the occident. This entrenched view continues to dominate western ideas and, because it does not allow the East to represent itself, prevents true understanding. Essential, and still eye-opening, Orientalism remains one of the most important books written about our divided world.

爱德华-萨义德对西方对东方的历史、文化和政治认识的开创性批判，在首次出版后的三十多年里，已成为现代经典。

在这篇内容广泛、思想活跃的研究中，萨义德追溯了 "东方主义 "的起源，在长达几个世纪的时间里，欧洲统治了中东和近东，并从其权力地位出发，将 "东方 "简单地定义为西方的 "其他"。这种根深蒂固的观点继续主导着西方的思想，由于它不允许东方代表自己，因此阻碍了真正的理解。东方主义》是一本必不可少的书，而且仍然令人大开眼界，它仍然是关于我们这个分裂世界的最重要的书籍之一。