Orientalism as explained by Edward Said is the emphasising and exaggeration of particular cultures, often portraying them as exotic, uncivilised or even dangerous. Disney’s Aladdin is one example of this behaviour. Analyse some further examples of Orientalism in the media, and the implications of such behaviour in the 21st Century. Explain how this exemplifies Said’s theory.
Not necessarily orientalism, but it might also be interesting to have a look at indigenous cultures from this perspective. If we're going to go for another Disney example, Pocahontas seems to really exoticise/appropriate Native American history and culture. It's particularly interesting that at face value, this isn't something everyone would pick up on I think (i.e. I didn't pick up on much of the problems with Pocahontas until I had them pointed out to me), so does this mean that this sort of thing has been normalised??? – PhoebeLupton6 years ago
An upcoming film to analyze for this topic would be Crazy Rich Asians and how many stereotypes about Asians are subverted in the movie. – bansari6 years ago