Amman, May 6 (Petra) -- Iraqi critic and thinker Abdullah Ibrahim delivered a lecture on Wednesday at the Arab Thought Forum in Amman, exploring the evolving concept of "New Orientalism." The session was moderated by the Forum’s Secretary-General, Al-Sadiq Al-Faqih, and attended by a prominent group of intellectuals and academics.

Ibrahim began by tracing the origins of traditional Orientalism, defining it as a field encompassing research into Eastern religious and secular affairs. He argued that the movement emerged from the intersection of knowledge and power, noting that any knowledge accompanied by power inevitably leads to a desire for dominance over others. He distinguished between "Functional Orientalism," which served as an aid to colonial movements, and "Cognitive Orientalism," which he described as being detached from colonial agendas.

The lecturer explained that Orientalism was not merely a research endeavor into history or religion but an institution established for various strategic goals. He asserted that it was a product of the West’s ambition to extend its influence eastward, an ambition that required deep cultural knowledge to succeed. However, he also acknowledged that the vast majority of Orientalists served Arabic culture by publishing, analyzing, and classifying religious, geographical, and literary sources during the 18th and 19th centuries. This work, he noted, prompted Arab and Muslim researchers to re-examine their own heritage, a process he views as a critical entry point into modern cognitive awareness.

Addressing the shift toward "New Orientalism," Ibrahim noted that a turning point occurred after World War II, with the movement fully emerging in the 1970s. He attributed this shift to several factors, including the West’s post-war gains and the critical scrutiny of the "suspicious relationship" between Orientalism and colonialism, most notably highlighted by Edward Said in his seminal work, "Orientalism". He also pointed to the rising tension between East and West, which deeply influenced the perspectives of contemporary researchers.

Ibrahim observed that the growth of individualism in Western societies has become a standard of measure against what these societies perceive as the "solidarity-based" nature of Islamic communities. This has created a conflict between Western individual values and their perception of Islamic societies as fundamentally different. He concluded by explaining that New Orientalism differs from its predecessor in its methodological vision, treating historical sources as literary texts and utilizing stylistic analysis. He identified the Hebrew University, Princeton, and Oxford as the most prominent global centers for New Orientalism today.

In his introduction, Al-Sadiq Al-Faqih praised Ibrahim’s extensive intellectual contributions, highlighting his *Encyclopedia of Arabic Narrative* as a landmark work that expanded the study of narratives beyond literary frameworks to address broader issues of identity and Orientalism.

//Petra// AF

06/05/2026 22:06:04