Theory and Criticism
M. Mazhari; M. Armaghan; F. Alborzi
Abstract
Edward Said's analysis of "Orientalism" critically examines how the East is portrayed in Western art and how this portrayal reinforces the colonial mindset. It goes beyond just distorting the ideology to establish a new political order. Instead, it creates a separate reality of the Orient, distant from ...
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Edward Said's analysis of "Orientalism" critically examines how the East is portrayed in Western art and how this portrayal reinforces the colonial mindset. It goes beyond just distorting the ideology to establish a new political order. Instead, it creates a separate reality of the Orient, distant from the West and objectifies it as a source of Western knowledge. The world exhibition serves as an arena to showcase various Western and Eastern cultures. It juxtaposes logical and imaginary, chronological order, and mythical disorder. The exhibition has been used to shape transcultural and advance Orientalist discourse strategies and expectations of imperialism. The representation and construction of “self” and “others” found an ontological and epistemological relationship with Orientalist alienation. Also, due to the newly acquired strategic position during the first Pahlavi era and the ancient history of the country's science and art, Iran's presence there earned special position in the eyes of Orientalists and the Western knowledge domain. Therefore, it was necessary to depict it by classifying the structure of knowledge and related historiography. In fact, the concepts and political rules of the historical interpretation of Orientalism were derived from Iran's participation in international exhibitions. The goal was to identify a connection between Orientalist ideas and the pavilions' physical, content, and functional aspects. The study found that Iran's pavilions, in particular, reflected Orientalist expectations. They were designed like museums showcasing Iranian art and arranged exotically to appeal to Western audience.
