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Oriental redirects here. For information on the financial institution, see Oriental Financial Group, Inc. The Orient is a term traditionally used in Western culture to refer to the Near, Middle, and Far East.
Derivation The term "Oriental" is derived from the Latin word oriens, which is the present participle of "orior": to rise. The implication is that it refers to the rising sun, hence the use of Orient to describe the "land of the rising sun", i.e. the Far East, and is exactly analogous with the Chinese term for Japan. Comparable terms are the French-derived "Levant" and "Anatolia" from the Greek anatole, two further locutions for the direction in which the sun rises. The opposite term "Occident" - derived from the Latin word occidens, from the verb "occido": I fall - was once used to describe the western world, i.e. the "land of the falling (setting) sun", but is slowly falling into disuse. The creation of a polarity oriens/occidens originated in Roman imperial administration from the time of Diocletian and was taken up in Christian Latin literature, but the term Orient did not enter Western European languages until the time of the Crusades Usage of term Traditionally, the Orient referred primarily to the cultures and countries of what are now considered Western Asia and South Asia. This particularly included regions that used to be known as Persia, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Egypt. As awareness of the countries of Eastern Asia grew in Western European and American consciousness in the late 19th century, the term also came to refer to China, Japan, and the surrounding nations. Remnants of the older conception of the Orient still exist in the English language in such collocations as "Oriental rug" and "Oriental harem", but these days the word "Orient" typically refers to that part of Asia where both Dharmic religons are dominant and the majority of natives have an epicanthic fold. "Oriental" has been used by the West as a term to describe cultures, countries, peoples and goods from the Orient. Some useages of Oriental are still common, for example, Mizrahi Jews (native to the Middle East) are often referred to as Oriental Jews and it is common in older Universities: the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies, the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute and Oxford University's Faculty of Oriental Studies all focus on the Middle East, East Asia and South Asia. The American Oriental Society remains the premier body for the study of Oriental societies. Oriental is also used as an adjective akin to "eastern", especially in the Spanish-speaking world. For example, the Philippine island Mindoro is divided into two provinces whose titles include the words "oriental" and "occidental" respectively. Uruguay used to be known as the República Oriental del Uruguay because it was located to the east of the Rio de la Plata. Perceptions & Connotations Although "Oriental" is generally considered a neutral term in the UK and other parts of the Commonwealth, there is some disagreement as to whether the word "Oriental" has come to possess negative connotations in North America. It's not difficult to find discussion groups on the net debating the connotations from and perceptions implied by the term "Oriental". However, it is not uncommon to find the term used on hundreds of thousands of government and state websites and documents across in the USA. Only in Washington State, it is illegal to use the word "Oriental" in legislative and government-related documents. Prominent filipina commentator Michelle Malkin's official site uses the term repeatedly without predjudice or additional comment. A criticism of the term is its overly genericity, categorizing peoples of divergent cultural and ethnic backgrounds into one, but this would is the case with any term that describes a large region of the planet or a large group of people. For example the terms Asian, African, European, Slavic, Romance, Caucasoid, Indo-European, Celtic, Western and American can all be used to categorize divergent cultural and ethnic backgrounds under a single broad term. There has been a gradual shift in academia toward alternative terminologies that supposedly are more politically proper than the term "Oriental". For example, The Far Eastern Association, an organization for Asian studies in the United States, was renamed the Association for Asian Studies, and its associated publication, the The Far Eastern Quarterly was renamed the Journal of Asian Studies, in September 1956. Many American Universities will no longer accept the official use of the term "Oriental". But there is obviously some disagreement as to whether the term has negative connotations as the American Oriental Society and a few others remain unconcerned about the usage of the terms in its publishings. Despite these changes, in non-academic circles there seem to be fewer changes. This is evidenced by the fact that conservative commentators regularly employ the term in current usage. Businesses such as Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, Mandarin Oriental, Oriental Financial Group, Inc.,Orient Thai Airlines, Orient Steam Navigation Company, Orient Watch Co., Neptune Orient Lines are just a few of many successful enterprises to share this term as a part of their name. Although the terms nigger or nigga have few parallels with the term "Oriental", there is a similarity in usage in that both words can take on a derogatory tone when used improperly or by someone who is not familiar with the subject. For this reason, the term "Oriental" is perhaps most awkward when used by someone who has little knowledge of the Orient and who might not perceive the differences between various Asian regions or cultures. "Oriental" is always considered offensive when it is used to imply that an Asian American is somehow "less American" than other Americans. Regional Variations Major objections to the use of the word "Oriental" are chiefly limited to certain elements in North America. Its use is not controversial in Europe, where the word is neutral and in widespread usage as evidenced by its usage on the online British Monarchy Media Centre. In Europe the term is often used to describe such things as the East's cuisine and goods, ancient culture, and religions, at times to denote an exotic quality with upmarket or mildly positive connotations. In Europe the term "Asian" has become almost exclusively tied to the Indian subcontinent, as evidenced through BBC Asian Network, a radio station of the BBC devoted to the British Asian community. Alternatives While many people outside of academic circles continue to use the word "Oriental", it is increasingly common use more neutral geographical terms when referring to "Oriental" people and places. This means using "West Asia", "South Asia", "East Asia" and "South-East Asia". In the early Twentieth century the term "Far Eastern" was used in preference to "Oriental" when referring to East Asia. More recently the term East Asian has replaced Far Eastern. However this term is problematic in itself in that it defines a region in relation to the rest of Asia with which it has no real connection. The terms "Asia and the Pacific" or "the Pacific Rim" or "the Pacific Basin" are coming into favor as alternatives. The terms "Middle Eastern" and "Westerner" follow the same pattern as "oriental", yet are subject to less controversy. The Orientalist Marshall Hogdson tried to introduce several terms to refer to the wider Islamic region including "Nile-to-Oxus" however none of these have stuck. The term "West Asia" is, in many instances, becoming a common term for the Middle East, although it some times includes Iran and Afghanistan as well as Mesopotamia and the Levant thus adopting Hodgson's concept if not his coinages. See also Notes | ||||||||
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