Culture and Imperialism |  | Author: Edward W. Said
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
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Rating:  25 reviews
Media: Paperback
Pages: 380
Number Of Items: 1
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Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0679750541
Dewey Decimal Number: 809.894
EAN: 9780679750543
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Amazon.com Review
Edward Said makes one of the strongest cases ever for the aphorism, "the pen is mightier than the sword." This is a brilliant work of literary criticism that essentially becomes political science. Culture and Imperialism demonstrates that Western imperialism's most effective tools for dominating other cultures have been literary in nature as much as political and economic. He traces the themes of 19th- and 20th-century Western fiction and contemporary mass media as weapons of conquest and also brilliantly analyzes the rise of oppositional indigenous voices in the literatures of the "colonies." Said would argue that it's no mere coincidence that it was a Victorian Englishman, Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton, who coined the phrase "the pen is mightier . . ." Very highly recommended for anyone who wants to understand how cultures are dominated by words, as well as how cultures can be liberated by resuscitating old voices or creating new voices for new times.
Product Description
A landmark work from the intellectually auspicious author of Orientalism that explores the long-overlooked connections between the Western imperial endeavor and the culture that both reflected and reinforced it. "Said is a brilliant . . . scholar, aesthete and political activist."--Washington Post Book World.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 25
 Art and Colonialism October 10, 2001
Micheline Gros-Jean (Miami, FL USA)
49 out of 57 found this review helpful
This work is one of Edward Said's best , in fact, Culture and Imperialism is better than Orientalism. The overarching theme is the interconnection between culture and society be it in the past or the present. His aim is not to disparage the West but to show how one's identity is more or less determined by one's relationship with the Other ( the third world). His obeservations on this relationship, the other and the west is quite enlightening. Contrary to what have been written, this is not an apologia for Islamicism ( Islamic Fundamentalists), he is indeed critical of fundamentalists of any stripe. Said is a secularist so it would be nonsensical for him to support a fundamentalist government. While he is critical of the West(rightfully so), he does acknowledge the undemocratic nature of Middle Eastern governments. His love for liberty and justice convinces the reader that he is sincere in his condemnation of Islamicism. This book is needed to be read carefully but once you're done reading you'll be glad to have done so.
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Excellent, highly recommened read September 18, 2001
W. Schmidt (Minneapolis, MN United States)
31 out of 40 found this review helpful
This is an excellent book covering the power of literature to form and maintain ideological control over cultures, history, and people. In fact, the wide range of opinions about this book expressed here among the amazon customer reviews points to just how real this kind of control can be. Your position in the world will affect your reading of this book. But really that's Said's point. And it is true of whatever you see and read. Being entirely objective probably is asking too much of anyone, but opening yourself to the opinions and experiences of others is not asking too much. There's more than just a little that is valid and true in this book even if it is not immediately true for you. How Western literature, words, and ideas have affected other non-western lives is real. Here's the proof. Everyone needs to be aware of these relationships and this book does make a sound argument for that awareness.
A riveting book by a learned man..... August 23, 2000
J. Michael Showalter (Nashville, TN United States)
19 out of 24 found this review helpful
In this book, Edward Said (also author of the classic Orientalism) shows the broad grasp of imperialism (i.e. the possession of one culture/group fo people by another) through analysis of 'Western' authors and texts. First, this book differs from most, if not all other major 'revisionist' kinds of texts because its author never sets aside the value of reading anything: Said uses his erudition in order to illustrate the plight of the oppressed, as opposed to many others, who view erudition, developed through culture, as a device that can only bind one more into a group of people. Whereas others read stories of Conrad and see mainly a story of the white upper class, Said reads between the lines and shows Conrad's implications toward other people. I guess that explanation was relatively unclear: I don't have the book in front of me. This is an important book for any person who wishes to consider themself either educated or worldly to read. Setting aside that it is brilliant for what it is about, just having the oppurtunity to read the words of its author would provide value enough.
very interesting May 20, 1999
23 out of 30 found this review helpful
This is certainly an overhyped book, and in fact there are a great many scholars that have investigated this material before; it's just that Said manages to get it all in one book, and makes it a pleasure to read. I suppose we now have to ask whether this economically and educationally priviledged male is genuinely on the side of the oppressed people in economically depressed 'third world' nations. Something tells me that he more than occassionally finds something attractive in what he claims is the litearture of conquest. There are of course more original voices working in post-colonial cultural studies today, but it is doubtful if any of them write with such clarity and assurance as Said.
Inflame's, Enlighten's and is Highly Controversial November 12, 2005
Terry Tucker (Richland, TX)
23 out of 30 found this review helpful
Prof Terry Tucker, Senior Doctrine Developer Saudi Arabian NG Modernization Program;
This book is heavy, scholarly and controversial. The author explores culture, nationalism and imperialism through the prism of literature. You will need to be very open minded when you read this and in some cases you will find yourself both enlightened and yet disgusted. Set this aside and think about what the author conveys from the position of an "Arab_American".
As an American working in the Middle East I have found this book extremely helpful. This book will not be an easy weekend read. You will need to plan on taking some time to think about this book and digest what the author presents. If your highly patriotic or nationalistic in your inclination, you will definately need to set aside some extra time to get over the emotional impact that this book may have on you
Showing reviews 1-5 of 25
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