Representation confines the Orient to a closed theatrical stage affixed to Europe

Evidence

The idea of representation is a theatrical one: the Orient is the stage on which the whole East is confined. On this stage will appear figures whose role it is to represent the larger whole from which they emanate. The Orient then seems to be, not an unlimited extension beyond the familiar European world, but rather a closed field, a theatrical stage affixed to Europe. An Orientalist is but the particular specialist in knowledge for which Europe at large is responsible, in the way that an audience is historically and culturally responsible for (and responsive to) dramas technically put together by the dramatist. — Edward W. Said, Orientalism, 170

Categorization

• DEFINE: Said defines representation itself as a theatrical act of enclosure — the Orient is staged for Europe, with the Orientalist as dramatist and Europe as responsible audience. This is the core definitional move of the chapter.
• XREF: Connects to the reader’s scaffolding task: the ‘Other as staged/contained’ mechanism bridges directly into later Islamophobia readings on how Muslims are represented in media and policy discourse.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Edward W. Said, Orientalism, 170