Edward Said explores the relationship between culture and imperialism in his book. He argues that past Western narratives of colonized places misrepresented native cultures and ignored their richness and integrity. These narratives served to justify imperialism by portraying colonized peoples as barbaric and in need of European rule. Said analyzes two novels - Dickens's Great Expectations and Conrad's Nostromo - to show how their works reflect this imperial mindset and blindness to other cultures. His overarching point is that a more positive and nuanced understanding between cultures is needed that avoids narrow views and acknowledges the interactions between colonizers and colonized.
Edward Said explores the relationship between culture and imperialism in his book. He argues that past Western narratives of colonized places misrepresented native cultures and ignored their richness and integrity. These narratives served to justify imperialism by portraying colonized peoples as barbaric and in need of European rule. Said analyzes two novels - Dickens's Great Expectations and Conrad's Nostromo - to show how their works reflect this imperial mindset and blindness to other cultures. His overarching point is that a more positive and nuanced understanding between cultures is needed that avoids narrow views and acknowledges the interactions between colonizers and colonized.
Edward Said explores the relationship between culture and imperialism in his book. He argues that past Western narratives of colonized places misrepresented native cultures and ignored their richness and integrity. These narratives served to justify imperialism by portraying colonized peoples as barbaric and in need of European rule. Said analyzes two novels - Dickens's Great Expectations and Conrad's Nostromo - to show how their works reflect this imperial mindset and blindness to other cultures. His overarching point is that a more positive and nuanced understanding between cultures is needed that avoids narrow views and acknowledges the interactions between colonizers and colonized.
In his Introduction to Cultural and Imperialism, EdwardSaid states that his
previous book Orientalism (east)was limited to Middle east. But in this book he describes a more general pattern of relationship but the Modern West and its over seas territories (colonized countries). In the introduction to the book Said attempts to explain the term culture in relation to Modernism of imperialism. According to Said there are two types of attitude towards culture. The first definition says, Culture is a concept that includes refining and elevating element, each societys reservoir (treasure house) of values and tradition of a particular community. Second definition is viewing culture as a source of identity that provides a power to fight the influences of foreign culture. Culture is understood as a protective agent that divorces us from the every day world (Modern world). Said views the European writing on Africa, India, Ireland far east and other lands as part of European effecttorule distant lands. He sees colonial and post-colonial fiction is very important to his argument. The sewriting describe in habited by uncivilized barbarians,who understood only the language of violence and deserve to be only slaves. This is a misrepresentation of the native people and their cultures. This representation has to be changed. Said finds a connection between these narratives and the imperial process. The European narratives above its colonized lands are all misrepresentations of their cultures. The sewritings ignore the important aspect of the reality the native people and their culture. Said drives home his point by taking two novels: Dickens's Great Expectation and Conrad's Nostromo. Dickens Great Expectation is about pips vain attempt to became a gentle man. In his past life pip has helped a convict named Abel Magwitch, who was transported to Australia pays back pip huge sum of money through his lawyer. Magwitch reappears illegally in London after some time. Pip doesn't welcome him and rejects him for being a criminal. Magwitch is unacceptable being from Australia, a penenal colony, designed for rehabilitation of English criminals. This is a remarkable novelaccording to Said, but the focus of narrative is London, not Australia. Dickens is not bother about the fate of convicts in Australia, from where they could never return. To Said the prohibition placed on Magwitch's return is not only penal but also imperial. These criminals could not be allowed to return to England the land of decent people. Conrad’s “Nostromo”the second example,is set in the Central American Republic. It was a colony because it had huge Silver mines. In this novel, Holreyd the American financer tells obasles Gould, the British owner of the men that We shall run the world, business whether the world likes it or not”. This is the general thinking of the imperialist. The idea of responsible of civilizing the world seems to be originated from this thinking say Said. The problem with Conrad is that he writes from the view of a Westerner. He is blind to other histories, other cultures and other aspirations. He does not understand that India,Africa and South Africa had lines Conrad sees imperialism as a“system”and it should work in a proper fashion. Conrad was both imperialist and anti-imperialist,and had a limited vision about the colonised countries. All such work, for said seems to argue that the centre of life and action was the West, and rest of the world had no life history or integrity of its own. They lacked the ability to see the richness of other countries. The world has changed since Conrad and Dickens due to imperialistic globalization. Now various cultures interact with each other still maintaining the ethnic differences. The colonizer and colonized don't exist in separate words. Hence, one sided view is not possible. Said says a positive development is needed and suggests that imperialist should avoid narrow mindness. Most of the western writers could never imagine that those ‘natives who were either subservient, or uncooperative were one day going to revolt against the imperials. The purpose of his book is to trace the relationship between culture, aesthetic experience and historical experience. He says that his aim is to enquire historical facts about imperialism and reveal its original form more over he has not discussed all the empires. He has focused on three imperial powers: British, French and American. Said says that the origin of current American policies can be soon in the past. All powers aspiring for global domination have done the same things. There is always the appeal to power and national interest in running the affairs of lesser peoples’, and the same destructive zeal when the going goes rough. American made the same mistake in Vietnam and Middle East. Said hopes that a history of imperial adventure rendered in cultural terms might serve some deterrent purpose. Said makes it clear that the criticism on imperialism exempt the colonized people. The fortunes and misfortunes of nationalism don't always make a flattering story. Narrow, and dogmatic approach to culture as is imperialism. Secondly, culture is not the property of the East or the West. EdwardSaid, by necessity was in a position to be objective in his approach, as he lived most part of his life in exileand had the personal experience of both the cultures. He was born in Middle East and lived as on exilein America, where he wrote this book.