Assignment

Edward Said has influenced a lot of people who are interested in thinking about the Middle East, its relationship to the West, and the ways in culture and power influence each other.  Remember our video by Omar Duwaji?  That’s a great example–if you want some more, check out the podcasts on this site. 

One person who really applied Said’s ideas in a creative way is the Algerian philosopher and literary critic Malek Alloula, who used the concept of orientalism to examine French images of Algerian women.  In this assignment, we are going to learn about Alloula and creatively apply his ideas to an image of your choice. 

Here are the steps.

Read Zara Choudhary’s multimedia introduction to Alloula’s big ideas.  You can find it here: 

As you read, try to summarize in your own words—that is, paraphrase—the hidden or not-so-hidden messages that Choudhary identifies in the different photos.

Answer this question in two sentences: Choudhary describes her first photo as “a phantasm, the colonial master’s fantasy.”  What do you think she means?

Choose an image from the online archive, attached.  Pay careful attention to any context clues, like who created it or any text that accompanies the image.

Write a two paragraph essay that answers the following two questions.  You should write a paragraph about each question.  You do not need an introduction or conclusion.

Question 1:  What is the message of the image you chose?  Please describe and discuss specific parts of your image, like Choudhary does.  You can talk about the main figure(s), the setting, the “props,” the way in which the image is composed, or the person or people who you think created the image.  Interpret the image!  Go nuts with details.

Question 2:  Do you think this image and/or its message could be called orientalist? Why or why not?  Use the two sentences you wrote for Step 2 in your answer.