| Thinking Orientalism | American Popular Culture
The first time I was introduced to Edward Said was during my undergraduate years in Mills College in a class on American Images of China and Japan by one of my favorite professors Dr. Wah Cheng. Ever since, I have been undeniably inspired by Edward Said's narratives and I have begun seeing the world the way he saw it. The same concepts spoke to me throughout undergraduate years and later in life too. Now, at SOAS, thinking again about the role of media in society and how it contributes to shaping our thoughts, I find myself turning back to the writings of Edward Sa id and Gramsci's concepts of hegemo ny and Foucault's understanding of power he has related to in his work. For a class on Mediated Culture of the Middle East, I decided to work on a presentation covering Orientalism in American popular culture with regards to the ima ges of the Middle East. Some of you may not be aware of the term "Orientalism" or the idea of "the other" that Said turned our