The Societies Of The World - 1133 Words

Orientalism that view the societies of the world in a dualistic manner—the West sees and defines itself in relation to a culture of opposites. While it identifies itself as familiar and normal, it characterizes the Other according to its deficiencies. The Western world will never be able to fully understand other societies and their differences in relation to one another if it continues to perpetuate these distinctions. Wolf’s perspective places an emphasis on the role of history in perceptions of the non-Western world and how the West does not account for the history of these other peoples. By â€Å"people without history,† Wolf means the societies that the West has deemed insignificant and primitive yet continues to exert power over.†¦show more content†¦They see themselves as superior and more advanced—they are the ones that have evolved and subsequently are the producers of history. Another point of Wolf’s argument that agrees with Said’s perspective is that non-Western nations were not isolated and static entities before Western colonialism. Wolf, like Said, challenges the notion that Western intervention into the cultures of these peoples is necessary and without it, these societies would be hopeless and have no part in the global economy. Ultimately, Wolf understands that non-Western societies are just as intertwined into the workings of global processes and that they significantly contribute to history and the global economy. Capitalism has been allowed to emerge as a dominant mode of production, however, Wolf challenges the notion that non-Western cultures and people were isolated and static entities before the advent of European colonialism and imperialism. Before active colonization, these societies possessed changing reactionary cultures and were just as intertwined into the processes of the global economic system as European counterpar ts. The problems that the non-West experiences are a result of the unbalanced power structures developed by the West. The West does not seek to understand, or accept, the broader connections and relationships between cultures, especially between the West and the non-West. Just as Wolf