Orientalism

1.1 Knowing the Oriental

Said begins this chapter with the assertion that knowledge is a form of power. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries of colonial travel, the growing Western interest in texts from the Orient led to a desire to translate them. According to Said, this interest was never benign, as these translation projects quickly became a form of wielding power through knowledge. Whoever produces and disseminates knowledge of the Orient also possesses the ability to dominate it. In the case of the British colonial presence in Egypt, British knowledge and perception of Egypt came to define the colonized country’s total identity, whereas Egyptians’ sense of their country was omitted. This prevalence of British knowledge is evident in Arthur James Balfour’s attitude toward Egyptians. Balfour, who was a British House of Commons official, believed that Egyptian self-government was not possible due to their people’s reliance on the British administration for moral guidance. He also believed that Egyptians tacitly approved of British colonial occupation. These beliefs presumed the national affiliations and desires of Egyptians without actually consulting their views. The goal was self-serving; Balfour wanted to continue occupying Egypt, and so he decided that Egyptians both wanted and needed British occupation.