European encroachment boosted Orientalism’s confidence while draining its originality

Evidence

The more Europe encroached upon the Orient during the nineteenth century, the more Orientalism gained in public confidence. Yet if this gain coincided with a loss in originality, we should not be entirely surprised, since its mode, from the beginning, was reconstruction and repetition. — Edward W. Said, Orientalism, 333

Categorization

• XREF: Imperial power and knowledge-confidence rising together anticipates the knowledge/power coupling the reader will meet again in Foucault-framed Islamophobia critiques.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Edward W. Said, Orientalism, 333