Orientalism fundamentally reshaped how scholars understand the relationship between Western knowledge and imperial power. Edward Said, professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia, argued that Western academic study of 'the Orient'—the Middle East, Asia, and North Africa—was not neutral scholarship but a form of cultural domination. European and American scholars, writers, and artists created an imaginative geography in which 'the East' was defined as the mysterious, irrational, sensual opposite of the rational, progressive West. This construction justified colonial rule by portraying Eastern peoples as requiring Western guidance. Said traced Orientalist discourse through centuries of European writing, from medieval accounts through nineteenth-century scholarship to contemporary policy analysis, showing how similar tropes recurred despite changing historical circumstances. He challenged the possibility of objective knowledge about other cultures, arguing that all representation is shaped by power relations. The book provoked intense controversy—critics accused Said of overgeneralizing and ignoring scholarship that escaped his framework—but its influence has been undeniable. Orientalism helped launch the field of postcolonial studies and continues to shape debates about how Western societies understand and engage with the non-Western world.