Date: Wed, 7 May 2003 09:35:40 +0200
From: Tobias =?iso-8859-1?Q?H=FCbinette?=  <tobias-AT-orient.su.se>
Subject: Does "the Orient" still exist?


I need help to find strong arguments for a change of name of Sweden's 
main as well as mediocre Asian studies department, the Department of 
Oriental languages at Stockholm University, where many faculty 
members in their hate for everything that smells of postmodernism, 
feminism and postcolonialism proudly and gladly use academic terms 
like "oriental", "the Orient" and "orientals". After having proposed 
a change to the Department of Asian languages a fierce discussion has 
started with the faculty members being divided according to the 
following more or less expected lines where the former group 
influenced by postcolonial thinking wants a change in the name of 
antiracism, while the latter sees themselves as staunch defenders of 
the glorious Western academic tradition of Orientalism:

Very strong divisions:
- ethnic Asians against ethnic Westerners (only one "oriental" still 
wants to designate himself as an "oriental" in his gratefulness and 
feeling of loyalty as he recently was promoted to professor)
- PhD candidates and research assistants against associate professors 
and professors (only one PhD candidate idenitifies himself strongly 
with the explorers, missionaries, orientalists and colonial 
administrators and sees himself as an expert of "the Orient")
- people born in the 1960s/1970s/1980s against those born in the 
1930s/1940s/1950s

Less strong divisions:
- women against men (especially those married to "oriental" women or 
who have adopted "oriental" children which in reality, and 
disturbingly, means 75 percent of the Western men)
- people from working class background against those from upper class families

As so many of the ingenious defenders refer to the not-so-radical 
countries of England and France where Oriental Studies and 
Orientalism still is the accepted scientific term, could someone help 
me with the background on how Oriental Studies was transformed into 
Asian Studies in a North American setting (including a possible 
parallel to how "Negro Studies" was transformed into African Studies 
already some 30 years ago) as well as some information on how the 
term is perceived outside the West among the "orientals" themselves? 
Or is it that I am wrong - that terms like "oriental", "the Orient" 
and "orientals" aren't that contested and controversial as I presume, 
me a stupid "oriental", me an extremist and inverted racist who wants 
to forbid the Westerners to become experts of "the Orient" (as the 
argument goes)?


Best,
-- 


Tobias Hübinette a.k.a. Lee Sam-dol

Ph.D. candidate in Korean studies
Department of Oriental languages
Stockholm University
SE-106 91 Stockholm
Sweden

Tel: 46-8-16 15 88
Fax: 46-8-15 54 64
E-mail: tobias-AT-orient.su.se

Presentations:
Department of Oriental languages: www.orient.su.se/koreanskapersonal.html
Info Portal Asia: www.sub.su.se:591/sidor/forskning/koreaforsk/tobias/


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