HIS 5105 Orientalismand Occidentalism
This course will look at this historical and theoretical debate and exchange through the filter of art, film, and literature, dealing specifically with the Islamic cultures of the Middle East (including Iraq) and the Mediterranean (from Greece and Turkey to Egypt and North Africa). We will look at both western representations of the "Orient" and "eastern" representations of the 'West". We willl ponder the existence and viability of such issues as Orientalism and Occidentalism and fit these ideas into their historical context. We will also examine how both East and West portray each other in films, newspapers and cartoons.