Orientalism by Edward Said. The Representation of the Orient in Disney's "Aladdin"

Seminar paper from the year 2022 in the subject Didactics for the subject English - Literature, Works, grade: 2,7, University of Cologne, course: Culture Clash and Family Clash. Being a Hyphenated American in the Contemporary Novel, language: English, abstract: The following term paper deals with the representation of the Orient through stereotypes and clichés. The movie Aladdin, which was released 2019, will be used to show the Orients representation by the Europeans and Americans.

Close your eyes and think about a desert with camels transporting goods. A bazar where you hear the cries of sellers, smell perfume, spices, coffee and tobacco. A bazar which is colourful, with exotic fruits and marvel lamps. Think about a palace and harem with beautiful women that wear long satin dresses with turbaned faces and golden jewelleries, performing belly dance and Arab men with al lot of gold and diamonds that get feed by their servants.

The most people from the West would rapidly think about the Orient because those characteristics describe the Middle East.

First, the term Orient and Orientalism will be explained and referred to Edward Said¿s Orientalism. After that, the term stereotypes will be defined and several stereotypes about the Middle East and the Orient will be presented. Then, visual effects will be described which are important for the movie analysis. In the last part, the movie Aladdin will be analysed. The focus is on which elements fulfill clichés and stereotypes according to the Orient and the definition of Orientalism. While analysing those characteristics the analysis of visual effects is included.