Dennis POrtilr

152
— one remembers the tripartite schema of a pre-classical,ya g cl t a o s n s n ic d a e l d an in d a te m ia te e r i ;

ag e — the e mer g en c e of su ch discourses as synchronic st r u c tu r e s o r p e r i o d

p e r f u n c t or y w a y s. S u c h d i sc ou r s e s a r e p
proble m.. that are emb odie d concu rre ntl y in , ofbpa ssag: ifr omdonea tsuri chl
f or ma t i on s. B u t t he wh ol e q ue st i on of p r oce ss,
p r o b l e ma ti c to th e n e x t, i s l e f t i n a b e y a n c e . T h e co n c e p t of teh
hxeilkging
ethe
mopow
n ypr,eootbI
n teth e o th e r
erratio olns the
f
hand , der ive s preci se ly fro m Gra msci 's
repr odu ct ion, by consen t and not by f orc e,
b ou r g e oi s s oc i e ty a s p r o c e ss . B e c a u s e k i s g r o u : n d e d . i n c on sc i o u s l y i n t e r v e n t i o n i s t

t h o u g h t , h e g e m o n y i s a b l e t o p o s i t s u c h r e p r o u c t i o n , b y c on s e n t a s t h e r e s u l t o f
ideological representation and of institutional manipulation Lwitiethraintudrei ff,serRenatyinsoocniadl
f or ma ti on s. C om me n t i n g o n h e g e m on y i n Marxism a n n ot only „h e
Wi l l i a ms d e f i n e d i t a s a f or m o f p r a c t i c a l c o n s c i ou sn e s s th a t c on c e r n s . ay and
a r t i c u l a t e u p p e r l e v e l s o f i d e o l o g y ' b u t a l s o ' a w h o l e b o d y o f p r a c tr e e n e t
e x p e c t a t i o n s , o v e r t h e w h o l e o f o u r l i v i n g : o u r s e n s e s a n d a s s i g n m e n t s ou r
sh ap i ng p e rc e p ti on s of our se l v e s a n d ou r wor l d ' (p . 110 ). In the context o f i s p ap e r ,
h owe ve r , th e most i mp or ta n t fe a tu r e of he ge mon y i s th a t i t al wa y s i mp i e d s h i s t o r i c a l
p r o c e s s . I n W i l l i a m s ' w o r d s a g a i n : ' I t h a s c o n t i n u a l l y t o b e r e n e w e , re c r e a te d ,
de fe n d ed , a nd a l te r e d , ch a l le n ge d by p r e ssu r e s n ot a t al l i ts own (p . 112 ). S u c h a se n s e A
h e g e mo n y a s p r o c e s s i n c o n c r e te h i st or i c a l c o n j u n c tu r e s , a s a n ev ol v i n g sph e r e of
su pe r str u c tu ra l c on f l ic t in wh i ch p ower re l a ti on s ar e c on ti n ua l l y r e a s se r t e d , c h a l l e n g e d ,
mo d i f i e d , i s a b se n t f r om S a i d 's b oo k .
Th e p r ob l e m i s f ur th e r c omp ou nd e d b ec a u se , u n l i ke F ou c a u l t, wh o p osi ts n ot a
co nti nuo us disco ur se o ve r tim e but epi st em ol og ica l break s be tw een diffe ren t
p e r i od s, S a i d a s se r t s t h e u n i f i e d c h a r a c te r of W e s te r n d i s c o u r se o n th e O r i e n t o v e r some
two mi ll e n ni a , a un i ty de r iv e d f r om a c ommon a n d c on tin u i ng ex p er i e n ce of f a s c i n a t i o n
w i t h a n d th r e a t f r o m t h e E a s t , o f i t s i r r e d u c i b l e o t h e r n e s s . H e i s t h u s A d t o c l a i m a
c o n ti n u i t y o f r e p r e s e n t a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e G r e e c e of A l e x a n d e r t h e Gre at and th e Uni ted
Sta te s of Pre si den t Ji mmy Ca rte r, a cla im tha t seems to make n on se n se of hi stor y a t th e
sa me ti me a s i t i n v ok e s it wi th r ef e r en c e to i mpe r i a l p o we r /k n o wl e d g e . A c c or d i n g l y , on e
i mp or ta n t r e a s on w h y S a i d a p p a r e n tl y c a n n ot s u g g e st th e f o r m a l t e r n a ti v e s t o
Or i e n ta l i s m m i g h t t a k e i n th e p r e s e n t i s t h a t h i s u se of d i sc ou r se th e or y p re v e n ts h i m
fr om se e i ng an y e v id e n c e of su c h a l te rn a ti v e s i n th e p a st. In fa c t b e ca u se he doe s n ot
re f l ec t on th e si g n if i c an c e of he ge mon y a s p r oc e ss, h e i g n o r e s A b o t h W e s t e r n s c h o l a r l y
a n d c r e a t i v e w r i t i n g a l l m a n i f e s t a t i o n s o f c ou n t e r - h e g e m o n i c t h o u g h t . B e c a u s e S a i d i s
un d er sta n d ab l y e a ge r to c on fr on t We ste rn he g e mon i c di sc ou r se h ea d on , he ig n or e s
R a y m o n d W i l l i a m s w a r n i n g th a t t h e r e a l i ty of c u l tu r a l p r o c e ss m u s t a l w a y s i n c l u d e ' th e
e f f o r t s a n d c on t r i b u ti on s of t h o s e w h o a r e A o n e w a y o r a n o t h e r o u t s i d e o r a t t h e e d g e
o f s p e c i f i c h e g e m o n y ' (p. 113). The consequence is serious. The failure to take account of
such efforts and c on tr i b u ti on s n ot on ly op e n s S ai d to th e c h a rg e of pr omoti n g Oc c id e n ta l i sm,
i t a l so c o n tr i b u te s t o t h e p e r p e t u a t i o n of th a t O r i e n ta l i st th ou g h t h e se t o u t to
d e m y s t ify in the f i r s t p l a c e . T h u s a l th ou g h S a i d c l a i m s th a t w h a t i n t e r e st s h i m a s a
sc h o l a . i s t h e d e t a i l a n d t h a t h e i n t e n d s t o b e a t t e n t i v e t o i n d i v i d u a l v o i c e s ,
vir tua lly no