The Concept of Acculturation in Edward Said's Writings and its Application to Elizabethan Drama

Abstract

This thesis consists of four chapters and a conclusion. Chapter one traces the echoes of the anthropological term 'acculturation' in some of Edward Said's writings which revolve around the cultural relationship between the West and East, namely Orientalism, "Representing the Colonized", and Culture and Imperialism". The term "acculturation" evolved in late nineteenth century colonial settings and involved the colonizer's attempts to impose its own culture on the colonized and to eradicate its native culture. Although ' acculturation' is redefined in a positive sense where two or more peer cultures mutually benefit from their contact with no force practiced by one culture over the other, the negative connotation of the original sense has persisted in Edward Said's writings. In Orientalism, Said identifies the relationship between the East and West (The Orient and Occident) with Orientalism which he defines as a "Western style of dominating and having authority over the Orient". Said describes Orientalism as an authoritative pattern of discourse characterizing all the Western cultural and epistemological practices about the Orient. This discourse attributes oddity, irrationality, backwardness, barbarity, and violence to the Orient. Said provides historical examples from ancient Greek culture until the twentieth century in order to prove how stereotypically Orientalism represents the East. In "Representing the Colonized", Said finds out that the negative influence of the colonizer's cultural hegemony does not come to an end even with colonized countries become independent. In Culture and Imperialism Said considers narrative literature a means of solidifying the Western imperial project as it is manifested to root the image of the Western Self as civilized and developed and ,consequently, having the right to dominate the backward non-Western Other.The colonized countries resist European domination both physically and ideologically. They reject the culture of the colonizer and revive their native culture which the empire attempts to distort or eradicate. The concept of acculturation as it appears in Said's analysis and examples cannot be generalized as always characterizing the relationship between the East and West. In the Middle Ages, an integrative intercultural dialogue occurred between the East and West. In the eighth and ninth century, Arabs translated Greek scientific and philosophical heritage into Arabic and creatively interacted with it. Arabs' contributions enriched human civilization and had a great impact on European intellectual life. This impact has its manifestations in English literature, notably Elizabethan drama. This impact is traced in the three following chapters. In chapter two the impact of Alchemy, the Arabic art of transmuting base metals into gold, is traced in Shakespeare's The Tempest. Revived from ancient Egyptian and Greek culture by Arab scholars such as Jabir ibnHayyan, Abu Bakr Al-Razi, and Muhammad ibnUmayl, alchemy was transmitted to Europe where it had great appeal. Medieval European alchemical tradition was based on the mercury-sulphur theory: a theory that mercury and sulphur are the two principles of matters. A perfectly harmonious "marriage" of mercury and sulphur produces gold. Alchemists alleged that they could provide the suitable catalyst for this "marriage" through alchemical processes starting with dissolving and ending with coagulation with a series of complex refining processes in between. Practical alchemy was located in a spiritual framework where alchemy aimed at purifying and perfecting man's soul just as metals were supposed to be purified to produce gold. Dramatic structure of The Tempest is that of an alchemical transmutation: dissolution, and coagulation with a series of complicated refining processes in between. Dramatic action starts with an act of separation caused by the tempest which splits the ship on the rocks. Passengers are physically and emotionally separated from one another. After separation, Prospero submits them to successive processes of soul refinement. He starts with Ferdinand whom Ariel throws alone near Prospero's island causing him suffering from loneliness and from his father's loss. Increasing Ferdinand's suffering, When Ferdinand meets Miranda and falls in love with her, Prospero manages to put obstacles in Ferdinand's way and to make his love for Miranda not an easy one. He imposes on Ferdinand labourious tasks in order to refine his soul just as an alchemist exposes base metals to very harsh conditions to produce gold. Prospero's aim begins to be realized as Ferdinand admits that such labour leads to noble ends. The "so perfect" Miranda and the spiritually refined Ferdinand decide to get married. This symbolizes the mercury-sulphur perfect union which alchemy aims at to produce gold.