Orientalism’s critics never escaped the terms of debate Said set

Evidence

In other words, Kramer accepts the role of the orientalist paradigm in the construction of European discourse. Even the argument that Said ignored German orientalism is replaced here implicitly by the argument that he ignored Jewish scholars, who allegedly challenged orientalist dichotomies. Thus, interestingly, in arguing that Jewish scholars were different, a book dedicated to Bernard Lewis (one of the most vehement critics of Edward Said) is based on an implicit acceptance of Said’s main argument. — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 635 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

These critiques, I think, are a comprehensive and accurate representation of the response to Said’s work. Much of what they deploy is valuable as scholarly engagement, but some is plainly intended to discredit the work on political grounds. Yet, none attempts to provide an account that improves on or displaces Said’s work, much less set new terms for the debate. Indeed, none of these critiques has etched itself in scholarly memory as Said’s Orientalism did. As problematic as it is, the book remains canonic. But canonicity neither excludes the possibility of the work being transcended or supplanted, nor is it an eternal confirmation of the truth of its propositions. Said’s work therefore provides me with the flare, though not the tools, to navigate my seas. If the metaphor is at all apt, I might say that in this work I hijack Said’s ship to reequip it for the exploration of oceans that he could see dimly from afar, if at all. — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism, 22 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

But in all my works I remained fundamentally critical of a gloating and uncritical nationalism. The picture of Islam that I represented was not one of assertive discourse and dogmatic orthodoxy, but was based instead on the idea that communities of interpretation exist within and outside the Islamic world, communicating with each other in a dialogue of equals. — Edward W. Said, Orientalism, 851 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Critique of Orientalism aimed at dialogue among interpretation communities, not nationalist assertion. — Edward W. Said, Orientalism, 851; Jewish orientalists subverted individual claims but never escaped the orientalism framework — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 637; Critics of Said still depend on his orientalism framework to make their counterclaims — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 635 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Critics of Said still depend on his orientalism framework to make their counterclaims #corroborates (0.97) — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 635
• No critique of Orientalism has displaced or surpassed Said’s book #corroborates (0.95) — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism, 22
• Critique of Orientalism aimed at dialogue among interpretation communities, not nationalist assertion. #complicates (0.72) — Edward W. Said, Orientalism, 851