[KS] Does "the Orient" still exist?

[Tobias Hübinette]

I need help to find strong arguments for a change of name of Sweden's 
main Asian studies department, the Department of Oriental languages 
at Stockholm University, where many faculty members proudly and 
gladly use academic terms like "oriental", "the Orient" and 
"orientals". After having proposed a change to the Department of 
Asian languages a discussion has started with the faculty members 
being divided according to the following more or less expected lines 
where the former group influenced by postcolonial thinking wants a 
change in the name of antiracism, while the latter sees themselves as 
defenders of the Western academic tradition of "Orientalism":

Very strong divisions:
- ethnic Asians against ethnic Westerners
- PhD candidates and research assistants against associate professors 
and professors
- people born in the 1960s/1970s/1980s against those born in the 
1930s/1940s/1950s

As so many of the defenders refer to the countries of England and 
France where "Oriental Studies" and "Orientalism" still is the 
accepted scientific term, could someone help me with the background 
on how Oriental Studies was transformed into Asian Studies in a North 
American setting (including a possible parallel to how "Negro 
Studies" was transformed into African Studies already some 30 years 
ago) as well as some information on how the term is perceived outside 
the West among the Asians themselves? Or is it that I am wrong - that 
terms like "oriental", "the Orient" and "orientals" aren't that 
contested and controversial as I presume?


Best,
-- 


Tobias Hübinette a.k.a. Lee Sam-dol

Ph.D. candidate in Korean studies
Department of Oriental languages
Stockholm University
SE-106 91 Stockholm
Sweden

Tel: 46-8-16 15 88
Fax: 46-8-15 54 64
E-mail: tobias at orient.su.se

Presentations:
Department of Oriental languages: www.orient.su.se/koreanskapersonal.html
Info Portal Asia: www.sub.su.se:591/sidor/forskning/koreaforsk/tobias/