Articles

National Identity and the Position of the Oriental Writer in the Context of Eastern and Western Discourses

ABSTRACT

The article analyzes the concepts of East and West not only from a geographical perspective, but also in the context of cultural, ideological and worldview differences. The East-West divide is more than a simple map division, it is a symbolic paradigm formed in historical processes and based on power relations and hegemonic discourses. The relationship between “exploiter” and “exploited” acts as one of the main questions in this divide. Referring to Edward Said’s work “Orientalism”, the article examines how the East is imagined by the West, and the issues of objectification, otherization and de-identification of the Eastern subject. The article also analyzes the concepts of national identity and society against the background of these paradigms. Does being born in the West make an individual a Westerner, and being born in the East makes him an Easterner? Is identity formed by cultural and psychological affiliation rather than geographical affiliation? To what extent can an Easterner remain an Easterner when living in the West, or has this difference been lost over time? These questions are answered from a literary perspective based on the novel “Wild Swans” by the Chinese-born writer Jung Chang. This work is considered an interesting example of Orientalism in terms of presenting historical and political events from a woman’s perspective, as well as an Eastern writer’s perspective on her own society from a distance. In her work, both Eastern and Western identities are problematized through themes such as femininity, cultural transitions, political pressures, and individual freedom. Through the analyses conducted in the article, the essence of the East-West divide, the stable or dynamic nature of identities, as well as the differences in cultural and gender perspectives are examined. The aim is to rethink these paradigms, along with criticizing them, and to try to understand identity, culture, and “center-periphery” relations in a multi-voiced manner.

KEYWORDS

East-West, orientalism, people, national identity