Edward W. Said's stature as a major contemporary American critic rests on highly original works that link theories of representation to cultural politics. Earlier in his career, he was one of a handful of "advance-guard" critics of his generation to have...

This book is a constant enchantment, and one wonders why such a study has not been previously attempted. Now that the attempt has been made, it is clear that no one could have done better than Zeynep Celik. The mutual discovery of the...

Orientalism and the Hebrew Imagination. By Yaron Peleg. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2005. 153 pp. $35. As the specter of Edward Said's Orientalism persists in casting a defining imprint on Middle East studies, Peleg argues that Said's conception of Orientalism, the study...

ArcelorMittal, the world's biggest steel company, said it was in talks with China Oriental Group Ltd. about increasing its stake in the Chinese steel products maker.ArcelorMittal bought a 28 percent stake in China Oriental for $647 million earlier this month.The Luxembourg-based steelmaker said in a...

ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker, said Friday it will offer at least $1.65 billion for the remaining shares in China Oriental Group Co. that it does not own after a ruling by Hong Kong's securities regulator.But an analyst said Beijing was unlikely to give its...

In the harsh review below, Wieseltier demonstrates how politics inform many of Said's arguments in Orientalism, suggesting that "the methodological gadgetry and 'iconoclastic' analysis of his book issue in little more than the abject canards of Arab propaganda."

In the following review, Hourani details the principal arguments of Orientalism, discussing their strengths and weaknesses.