The Arab criticism of Orientalism : a comparison between Anouar Abd-el-Malek and Edward Said

By comparing Anouar Abd-el-Malek's " L'orientalisme en Crise" (1963) with Edward Said's Orientalism (1978), this paper contrasts the way two Arab intellectuals engaged with the tenets of classical orientalism. It argues that, despite their apparent similarities and common goal to challenge the West's understanding of the Arab World, these works actually differ to a great extend. This occasions a demonstration that these writings must not be understood primarily by referring to the Arab origins of their authors but, more decisively, to the academic fields to which Abd-el- Malek and Said belonged. The paper scrutinizes the structure of the French and American university systems in order to grasp the genesis of their works and finally shows how the Arab criticism of orientalism that followed the decolonization was a manifold process anchored in a multiplicity of contexts.