Orientalist exoticism and horror are two poles of one manufactured image
Evidence
Most of the Muslim monsters examined here have, in one way or another, been inspired by Orientalism, which is formulated in a “symbolic world of infinite complexity, surprise, color, manifold variety and richness.” The emphasis on difference exists as a “great zero, a place-holder about which is elaborated complex semantic systems and cross-references defying the imagination of even the most far-out science fiction novelist.” Time, specifically, the lack of shared time, organizes the manner in which Muslims and other non-whites are portrayed in film. In movies, Oriental exoticism is expressed in numerous tropes—the veiled harem girl, the sword-wielding despot, lavish Oriental decorative accoutrements, turbans, flying carpets, genies, and palace rooms filled with jewels and silks—things of the past. But exotic discourse also has a “darker side of imagery [that exhibits] deviant and even horrifying aspects.” Orientalism frequently devolves into horror. — Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imagination, 598
Categorization
- XREF: Directly connects to the reader’s entire ‘Muslim monster manufactured in the Western imagination’ thesis - the exoticized East and the monstrous East are the same construct. — connects to: Orientalist paintings fused titillation with disgust to justify Western rescue missions
- DEFINE: Names the mechanism by which ‘difference’ becomes a place-holder the West fills with whatever content it chooses.