East and West are analytical distinctions, not literal geographic categories

Evidence

First, it allows us to characterize and classify societies into different categories—i.e., “Western,” “non-Western.” It is a tool to think with. It sets a certain structure of thought and knowledge in motion. — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2, 509 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The West is a historical construct defined by development traits, not geography; The West is as much an idea as a geographic fact — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2: Identity…, 505; East and West categories have never been primarily geographical (+4 more)

Related

• East and West categories have never been primarily geographical (similarity 0.93)
• The West concept classifies, represents, compares, and evaluates societies (similarity 0.90)
• The West is a historical construct defined by development traits, not geography (similarity 0.90)
• The West is as much an idea as a geographic fact (similarity 0.89)
• Spatial categories like East and West are real yet historically constructed, not natural. (similarity 0.87)
• The West concept ranks societies and functions as an ideology (similarity 0.86)
• The West operates as a system of representation condensing attributes into a composite picture (similarity 0.84)
• East-West and North-South divisions misrepresent the world’s true complexity (similarity 0.83)
• The West concept provides the comparative standard ranking non-Western societies (similarity 0.83)
• East and West are unstable geographic labels relative to the observer (similarity 0.83)
• The idea of the West helped constitute the West itself (similarity 0.83)
• The East-West distinction reflects European cultural hegemony accepted worldwide. (similarity 0.82)
• Geographical categories remain real even when they are conventional historical constructs. (similarity 0.82)
• The West and the Rest is constituted as a discourse, not a geography (similarity 0.81)
• The West manufactured its own internal others (similarity 0.81)

Broader Connections

• The West concept classifies, represents, compares, and evaluates societies #expands (0.85) — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2, 509
• The West’s apparent unity masks deep internal divisions #corroborates (0.85)