From Imperial Rivalry to American Primacy

Orientalism

This thread follows the changing powers that claim knowledge of the Orient and use it to shape political relationships.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Britain and France Advance Britain and France Advance from "Orientalism". Britain and France Advance Competing Interests European powers expand commerce, scholarship, and political influence across eastern territories.

Britain and France Advance from "Orientalism". Britain and France Advance Competing Interests European powers expand commerce, scholarship, and political influence across eastern territories.

Britain and France Advance Competing Interests European powers expand commerce, scholarship, and political influence across eastern territories. A Shared Vocabulary Rival empires develop overlapping descriptions of the Orient and its peoples. Unequal Encounter Their competition takes place within a broader relationship of Western power over the regions being described.

Napoleonic Ambition Napoleonic Ambition from "Orientalism". Napoleonic Ambition Egypt as a Strategic Project Napoleon Bonaparte sees Egypt as a way to challenge Britain and advance his own imperial ambitions.

Napoleonic Ambition from "Orientalism". Napoleonic Ambition Egypt as a Strategic Project Napoleon Bonaparte sees Egypt as a way to challenge Britain and advance his own imperial ambitions.

Napoleonic Ambition Egypt as a Strategic Project Napoleon Bonaparte sees Egypt as a way to challenge Britain and advance his own imperial ambitions. Scholarship in the Campaign The expedition carries a research establishment alongside the army. A Model for Later Projects Its combination of strategic planning and authoritative description helps define modern Orientalist practice.

Britain Establishes Rule Britain Establishes Rule from "Orientalism". Britain Establishes Rule Occupation Britain’s occupation of Egypt turns long-standing scholarly interest into direct administrative involvement.

Britain Establishes Rule from "Orientalism". Britain Establishes Rule Occupation Britain’s occupation of Egypt turns long-standing scholarly interest into direct administrative involvement.

Britain Establishes Rule Occupation Britain’s occupation of Egypt turns long-standing scholarly interest into direct administrative involvement. Imperial Confidence Arthur James Balfour and Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer defend British supervision as a service to Egypt and Europe. French Displacement The British presence sharpens French awareness of its limited political position in the region.

Partition and Mandates Partition and Mandates from "Orientalism". Partition and Mandates Ottoman Decline Britain and France plan spheres of influence over Ottoman territories.

Partition and Mandates from "Orientalism". Partition and Mandates Ottoman Decline Britain and France plan spheres of influence over Ottoman territories.

Partition and Mandates Ottoman Decline Britain and France plan spheres of influence over Ottoman territories. Expert Participation Regional knowledge informs imperial planning even as local populations press claims of their own. A Contested Settlement The project of dividing territory collides with national self-determination and emerging political movements.

American Primacy American Primacy from "Orientalism". American Primacy A Transfer of Influence The United States succeeds Britain and France as the dominant Western power in the region.

American Primacy from "Orientalism". American Primacy A Transfer of Influence The United States succeeds Britain and France as the dominant Western power in the region.

American Primacy A Transfer of Influence The United States succeeds Britain and France as the dominant Western power in the region. Institutions and Policy Research centers, government programs, and policy expertise connect Middle East study to American strategic interests. A Continuing Inheritance Said argues that the imperial framework changes its institutional form without disappearing.

Seventeenth through eighteenth centuries

1798–1801

From 1882

World War I and its aftermath

After World War II through the 1970s