Xiaomei Chen offers an insightful account of the unremittingly favorable depiction of Western culture and its negative characterization of Chinese culture in post-Mao China from 1978-1988. Chen examines the cultural and political interrelations between the East and West from a vantage point more complex than that accommodated by most current theories of Western imperialism and colonialism. Going beyond Edward Said's construction in Orientalism of cross-cultural appropriations as a defining facet of Western imperialism, Chen argues that the appropriation of Western discourse--what she calls "Occidentalism"--can have a politically and ideologically liberating effect on contemporary non-Western culture. Using China as a focus of her analysis, Chen examines a variety of cultural media, from Shakesperian drama, to Western modernist poetry, to contemporary Chinese television. She thus places sinology in the general context of Western theoretical discourses, such as Eurocentrism,
postcolonialism, nationalism, modernism, feminism, and literary hermeneutics, showing that it has a vital role to play in the study of Orient and Occident and their now unavoidable symbiotic relationship. Occidentalism presents a new model of comparative literary and cultural studies that reenvisions cross-cultural appropriation.
Industry Reviews
"An ambitious, revisionist challenge to Edward Said's concept of Orientalism....Chen's thesis is fundamentally sound, supportable, and intellectually challenging."--Kirkus Reviews
"This is a very thought-provoking work. Chen draws upon a wide range of interesting Chinese material in a way that few non-Chinese scholars could hope to match, and provides interesting readings of this material with the commitment and sensibilities of the insider."--Arif Dirlik, University of Victoria
"Occidentalism is a stunning and innovative book that will have a profound impact on the fields of Chinese studies and modern Chinese literature and society. Not only is it well researched, well written, and lively, it is bold, even daring, in its analytic thrust. Professor Chen has made a most welcome contribution to our understanding of contemporary Chinese culture, but more importantly, she has made a valuable contribution to the theoretical
literature on cultural studies. Her critique of Edward Said is devastating and right on target."--Paul Pickowicz, University of California, San Diego
"Occidentalism is a much needed book that speaks for and as a non-Western Other, and will help us deal with the complexity of cross-cultural understanding in a way more challenging and less simplified than the discourse of Orientalism has made possible."--Zhang Longxi, University of California, Riverside
"Chen offers a new theoretical framework on cultural studies. Extensive notations and a Chinese glossary enhance the book's usefulness for all levels."--Choice
"An ambitious, revisionist challenge to Edward Said's concept of Orientalism....Chen's thesis is fundamentally sound, supportable, and intellectually challenging."--Kirkus Reviews
"This is a very thought-provoking work. Chen draws upon a wide range of interesting Chinese material in a way that few non-Chinese scholars could hope to match, and provides interesting readings of this material with the commitment and sensibilities of the insider."--Arif Dirlik, University of Victoria
"Occidentalism is a stunning and innovative book that will have a profound impact on the fields of Chinese studies and modern Chinese literature and society. Not only is it well researched, well written, and lively, it is bold, even daring, in its analytic thrust. Professor Chen has made a most welcome contribution to our understanding of contemporary Chinese culture, but more importantly, she has made a valuable contribution to the theoretical
literature on cultural studies. Her critique of Edward Said is devastating and right on target."--Paul Pickowicz, University of California, San Diego
"Occidentalism is a much needed book that speaks for and as a non-Western Other, and will help us deal with the complexity of cross-cultural understanding in a way more challenging and less simplified than the discourse of Orientalism has made possible."--Zhang Longxi, University of California, Riverside
"Chen offers a new theoretical framework on cultural studies. Extensive notations and a Chinese glossary enhance the book's usefulness for all levels."--Choice
"Lucidly argued, convincing, and elegantly written, Chen's study is a major contribution to East-West studies, comparative literature, and cultural hermeneutics."--The Comparatist
"... Chen's analysis of the way in which Occidentalism is constructed and the roles it plays within the Chinese political arena brings out the highly complex nature of cultural relations."--Research in Africal Literatures
"Occidentalism is required reading for anyone who likes talking about literature as a phenomenon that exists and can be recognized in many countries and cultures, that has a certain cultural value, and that can be enjoyed and discussed on a different level than politics."--China Review International
