This is an in-depth academic study that analyzes the images Orientalists created of the Arabian Peninsula through travel literature. The book is distinguished by its scientific critical approach, offering an analytical study of how European and Western Arab travelers perceived the environment, people, and culture of the Arabian Peninsula through the lens of imagery—the study of cultural and mental images exchanged between different cultures.
The book focuses on how Western colonialism and inherited concepts of the East influenced the representation of the Arab region. It presents examples from literary works, memoirs, and historical documents written by Orientalists who visited the Arabian Peninsula. Al-Dami considers the historical and cultural context prevailing during the era of these travelers. He also highlights the complex relationship between the East and the West, and how each influenced the representation of the other.
The book examines the methods used by Orientalists to shape mental images of Arabs and the Arabian Peninsula, both positive and negative. It explains how these images shaped Western awareness of the East and the influence of these images on Western thought to this day. The book is an important reference for researchers in the fields of Oriental studies, sociology, and literary history, providing rich material for understanding the interaction between Eastern and Western cultures over a long history of cultural and historical exchange.
Through this book, Al-Dami presents a critical approach based on the concepts of imagery to understand how the cultural images and models promoted by the West are constructed in travel literature.
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