the orient

You know, I've traveled a bit in 'the orient' (why, I even live there and might be said to be an oriental of sorts myself) but I've never seen anything like this. Missing out again, I guess!

But no, the serious point: what is this fascination and obsession with 'the east' and with women's bodies and the veil? Of course, there's a political context to it; it would be naive to assume otherwise. The 'East' as passive, half-awake, there for the taking. The east that needs to be liberated, set free from captivity ('the lustful turk' and all that).

The East as a dreamworld, a place and time of lost innocence (but also, confusedly, of uninhibited sensuousness). Gaugin, perhaps? In a world that was being narrowly defined by rationality and industrialization, wouldn't it be nice to return to the pre-reflective states and to nature?

On the other hand, isn't a lot of the criticism just reactionary? In the 'west' people suffer from alienation, a lack of protection; they face the relentless gaze, the tyranny of fashion; they miss out on family life, homeliness, security, modesty, etc., etc. the harsh world of politics and the public realm being left to the men, the hunters. And shouldn't we respect differences? Eastern (Muslim) women are not like the farangi women, are they?

Well, don't buy it for a second, not a for a second.To talk about the Enlightenment nowadays is to align oneself with all sorts of unpleasant bedfellows. Narrow views of rationality, a thin concept of 'Man', a lack of respect for difference and uniqueness; the crushing of all that reeked of tradition, superstition, emotions. Science, prose and not art or poetry. Sure, but isn't it also an attempt to see what we share with one another, what we hold in common? A respect for sameness doesn't necessarily lead to the flatlands; instead, it can be just the opposite: east, west, man, woman, rich, poor...there is only the human being.Or, to be more specific, the ability to see ourselves clearly depends on our ability to see other people clearly:to keep the right balance between people's specificity and individuality and what is common. Us & them. The '&' unites and individuates.