audiobook Dangerous Knowledge: Orientalism and Its Discontents by Robert Irwin in History

Review

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful. A Response to Edward SaidBy Martin AsinerDANGEROUS KNOWLEDGE is really a book of two parts. In the first; Robert Irwin gives an overview of Orientalism. This is no easy feat since the term itself is unfamiliar to even otherwise well-educated Americans. The term does not lend itself to ready definition since it implies a focus on the Orient. Irwin does not limit Orientalism to China and Japan. He defines it as broadly speaking the discipline that relates to the entire spectrum of studies that includes all non-European areas of interest. Thus; it subsumes history; literature; music; mathematics and just about any segment of human endeavor that is founded in Asia; Africa; of nearby island societies. Irwin notes that Orientalism; using his broad definition; can be extended all the way back to classic Greek civilization. Irwin outlines a vast historical sweep of a myriad of names all of whom had something to say about civilizations that lay beyond the Euphrates. As he lists these names; one is impressed that the totality of their writings were often at odds with each other. Most of the early Orientalists tended to think of Arabic societies as their respective points of interest. Rather than seeing these Arabic societies as symbolic of an exotic "Other" as recent critics like Edward Said have charged; they instead were more likely to view Islam as a competitor to Christianity; and even here if there were truly any "other" it would be more likely that the myriad subsets of Christianity would be that other. The first part of DANGEROUS KNOWLEDGE is tough reading since the reader must absorb an imposingly long list of names; dates; and movements; sort of like reading an arcane history text of an unknown civilization. The second part is easier to grasp since Irwin zooms in on the life; times; and writings of Edward Said. Said; who died in 2003; was a pro-Palestinian; anti-Zionist; and anti-Western writer and thinker. His anti-American stance is not at all that unusual even given his tenured professor position at Columbia. Said is the author of many books; most of which exhibit his life-long obsession with justifying the deeds of the Palestinians as they sought to create a homeland in Jerusalem. Said's major book is ORIENTALISM; a surprise bestseller that is a confused mishmash of beliefs. Irwin takes exception to Said's claim that all of Western culture views all of Oriental culture as exotic; erotic; and just plain sexy. Irwin retorts that the vast majority of Orientalists from Plato to the present tended to see the East mostly in terms of the west. The allure of the east was anything but a vaguely defined "other." As Irwin was writing the first part of DANGEROUS KNOWLEDGE; he was clarifying that the "danger" of the title lay more in Said's misreading of Oriental culture than in any threat by the west toward the east. DANGEROUS KNOWLEDGE is an indispensable tool to counter the claims of the relativists and deconstructionists who assert that western culture is on its last and well-earned legs.4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Too general; doesn't really go into necessary detail to properly polemicize with SaidBy Lester PalaiologosIrwin's book expresses dissatisfaction with Said's "Orientalism". It also insists that its goal is not to renounce Said as such; but rehabilitate the scholars whom Said describes as "Orientalist".Unfortunately; the description of the scholars is; while interesting in itself; is flawed. Few words are dedicated to the scholars' ideas; as opposed to their biographies. Thus; the reader can't really decide what Said got right or wrong about them. Yes; we learn the scholar X felt a passion towards Orient and had a bunch of intriguing eccentricities; but what about their actual attitude toward the people they studied; their attitude to European colonialism? Even their technical achievements are usually mentioned in passing.Strangely enough; the most well-written part of the book is the chapter which directly argues with Said. Irwin does note some of Said's deficiencies; like his penchant for broad generalizations and the rather irrational dislike of linguistic classification (one feels that Said was influenced too much by the "any classification is bad" flavour of postmodernism); but the disappointing main part of the book doesn't; as a previous reviewer noted; really manage to back up Irwin's refutations.12 of 15 people found the following review helpful. Not Quite Convincing--But a Good Read!By The Conscience of ZenoIrwin is a well-known critic of Edward Said and "Orientalism". Here he marshals his considerable intellectual resources to define a workable timeline of Orientalist knowledge in order to make his essential point that Said was a late comer to this area of studies and didn't even know very much about it; being politically motivated in his outlook.Does he succeed? Not quite. No doubt Irwin is far more knowledgeable than Said ever was about the history of Orientalism; but he fails to deal convincingly with Said's essential point that Orientalism was a biased body of knowledge that existed mostly for the purpose of subjugating the East. Furthermore; his hatred for Said's ideas sometimes teeters on the edge of paranoia. Nevertheless; this book provides a detailed history of Orientalist studies in the West from the very beginnings of Islam to the modern reemergence of religious conflict.