A List of Tribes

We were asked to keep a list of the different tribes Gertrude Bell mentions in her writings.

Here goes:

'Adwan
Abadeh
*Anazeh
Belka
Beni Sakhr
Da'ja
Druzes
*Ghassanid
*Ghawarny
Hassaniyyeh
Shammar
Sherarat
Sukkur

*These may or may not be tribes. Given the way in which Bell discusses them, I'm assuming they were (are), but only further reading or some proactive research will provide a clearer answer.

More on Said's Orientalism

The preface of the 25th anniversary edition made for some interesting reading. I got the distinct impression Said is more than a little disgusted with our current involvement in Iraq. He certainly doesn't try to soften his opinion about American foreign policies as they apply to the Middle East (aka "The Orient").

I am actually looking forward to discussion on the topic of Orientalism tonight. Although I've read both the preface and the first chapter, I must admit I'm still trying to sort through everything Said had to say on the matter. I almost need to re-read the first chapter just in order to clarify.

I'll probably update this post later tonight. We'll see.

Updated (8:48 PM)

I think I've got a better grasp on Orientalism. I also think the old definition, the one Said created in the 1970s, is no longer 100% applicable. That or I'm still confused. Here are some of my observations/impressions:

• I don't see the men depicted as effeminate. This is a stereotype I can not easily identify in the travel writings we have read so far this semester. Although, while I don't see it, I suppose the few sentences here and there about homosexual practices could arguably emasculate the Oriental man.
• The image of Oriental women as exotic nymphs has been mostly replaced with the image of a suppressed gender-group who are at the mercy of their tyrannical menfolk.
• The emerging stereotype of Muslim men over the last few years has shifted to that of a religous zealot, a terrorist bent on destroying "The West".

I think perhaps the real definition of Orientalism can be found in the Us vs. Them argument. This psychological conditioning can be perpetrated by the media, the government, and our schools.

I think I'll leave it at that for now. Night!

Letter XXXIX to Anne Thistlethwayte

Lady Montagu had many interesting letters to choose from for this particular assignment, which made my selection feel rather arbitrary. As I flipped through the correspondence I noticed one with a lot of highlighting and notes in the margin. Apparently I found a lot of things very interesting in this particular letter, so it seems logical to discuss it.

One of the first things I noticed about this particular letter was the grateful tone of Lady Montagu's opening. It definitely leaves the reader with the impression that she was perhaps a bit desperate for news of home. Considering the length of time she has been away from England, this makes perfect sense, as does her consternation with her other correspondents for not thinking she would appreciate a little dated gossip.

If these letters were constructed after the fact, this is one of the elements that makes them so engaging. Her tone conveys a frustration I find very real and very believable.

As the letter progresses she indulges in a bit of cultural gossip herself. Considering she admits she's pregnant, the content of her letter flows naturally. It is in this passage where she discusses marriage and children that she perhaps shows her first true distaste for something within the Turkish culture. This sentence may explain her viewpoint on the matter: "You won't know what to make of this speech, but in this country it is more despicable to be married and not fruitful than it is with us to be fruitful before marriage." (p. 107).

Then you read this line: "..they do not content themselves with using the natural means, but fly to all sort of quackeries to avoid the scandal of being past child bearing and often kill themselves by them." (p. 107) Is that actually censure I hear? It certainly sounds like it. If remember correctly she bring up this bizarre gender-based cultural expectation more than once and more than in one letter.

What makes this letter interesting to me isn't just the fact that she finally shows the less than ideal state of Turkish women, but that she realizes it and tries to redeem the culture and perhaps the perception of her reader by adding a last paragraph about things she does like, like the punishment of convicted liars whom she refers to as "triumphant criminals in our country, God knows." (p. 108)

I think this goes back to Ryan's earlier statement about her desire to create an idealized society for herself where she can pick and choose different laws and customs from her experiences. I also believe the later letters in this series supports that argument even further.