Mohammedan-Arabic Cultural Period and Bebel’s criticism on orientalism
Significant intellectuals of the West, who were especially during the rise of capitalism very much focused on the ongoing growth of powerful European states and the newly emerging cultural atmosphere, concentrated on defining the East as unchanging and the societies of the Eastern world as despotic and tyrannical. During the transition period from capitalism to colonialism the Europeans were seeking more and more power, the East was certainly not a rival any more and it was legitimate to regard the East as inferior whereas the predominance of Western norms was agreed upon. During such a period, in which this idea of the surrogate Europe was accepted by the majority of Western actors, it is interesting to have a look at the European socialists and their way of perceiving the East as the orientalist perception did not only function as a way of depreciating the East but also as a way of creating an atmosphere which resulted in the Western bourgeois social norms rule over European countries. Granting a privilege to these norms was a tool to oppress the working class. Because of this reason it was important for the socialists in Germany to try to overcome orientalism. This present study deals with the Mohamedan Arabic cultural period by the German socialist August Bebel with the intention to point out how Bebel tries to give a new definition to the East and to defeat the orientalist point of view. The aim is to show that Bebel’s criticism on orientalism is still valid and can play a guiding role in connection to the everlasting derogatory attitude towards the East.
Die mohammedanisch-arabische Kulturperiode und Bebels Kritik am Orientalismus
Bedeutende Denkfiguren des Westens, die ausgehend von dem Aufstieg des Kapitalismus insbesondere zu Zeiten der Frühmoderne sehr auf die immer stärker werdenden europäischen Stadtstaaten und das durch diese herbeigeführte Kulturgut fokussiert waren, haben den Osten zumeist als in sich konstant bleibend und den gesellschaftlichen Charakter östlicher Kulturen als despotisch definiert. In einer Phase, in der der Kapitalismus mit Hilfe des Kolonialismus noch mehr an Macht gewann, war der Osten nicht mal mehr ein Rivale, sondern gelang unter die Herrschaft der westlichen Mächte, sodass die Gegenübersetzung von westlichen und östlichen Werten und deren Gedankengut so gut wie nicht mehr möglich war. In einer solchen von der Mehrheit der Intellektuellen des Westens akzeptierten Herangehensweise dominierten Atmosphäre ist es besonders von Belang, wie die Sozialisten Europas bzw. Deutschlands, die das Bürgertum in ihrem eigenen Land von Grund auf kritisierten, den Osten rezipierten. Der Orientalismus diente sicher nicht nur dazu, den Osten abzuwerten. Die besondere Hervorhebung westlicher Werte, die das Bürgertum repräsentierte, diente auch als Mittel zur Unterdrückung der Arbeiterklasse in westlichen Ländern. Aus diesem Grund haben führende Sozialisten Europas den Orientalismus kritisiert, der als Denkweise ein Produkt kapitalistischer Prozesse ist. Dieser Aufsatz befasst sich mit dem Werk Die mohammedanisch-arabische Kulturperiode von August Bebel mit der Absicht, aufzuzeigen, inwiefern Bebel den Osten neu definiert und mit seiner Kritik am Orientalismus die Probleme des westlichen Gedankenguts unterstreicht. In diesem Zusammenhang ist es Ziel dieser Arbeit, darauf hinzuweisen, dass Bebels so frühe Kritik am Orientalismus angesichts der heute noch immer präsenten abwertenden Haltung gegenüber dem Orient wegweisend sein kann.
During the rise of capitalism, European countries were eager to gain more power by exploiting the so-called non developed countries, which were supposed to have a retrogressive tendency. In order to be able to justify colonialist aims, the West created an imaginative East, which was inferior to the West. This attitude helped the West – as Said says – to define Europe as a contrast to the image or the idea of the East they created in their minds. This attitude is called orientalism and it is a manmade discourse which functions as a way of conceptualizing a distinction between the West and the East. It results in the positioning of the West as superior to the East which was followed by the Eurocentric view. The praising of the Western world with its norms and cultural heritage functioned as a way of creating a hegemony over other countries, which did not only occur in the form of dominating them but was also a way of oppressing the working class within Europe. The rise of capitalism changed the bourgeois society and formed new class distinctions and conflicts. The so called German Bürgertum gained power and the conditions of the working class got worse. However, at the same time it was a period in which the working class became organized into parties and trade unions. During such a period, in which the idea of the surrogate Europe was accepted by the majority of Western actors, it is interesting to have a look at the European socialists. August Bebel who was one of the founders of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) played a leading role in defeating the colonial aims of the German Kaiserreich under Otto von Bismarck. Bebel saw the connection between orientalism which helped the West to legitimize their colonial aims and the oppression of the workers. The dominating bourgeois norms in the West which were supposed to be superior to the Eastern cultural norms were used as a tool by the institutions of the powerful German state. Hence it was important for the socialists in Germany to try to overcome orientalism. For this reason Bebel devoted himself to the study of the Mohammedan Arabic cultural period. With his work Bebel tries to throw light on the imaginative perception of the East and show the historical truth about the cultural heritage in the East. To be able to do this he chooses to focus in his work on the Mohammedan period, where the Arabic culture went through a very progressive era. It was a time of scientific production and there was an attempt of reigning a state determined by progress and civilization, where people profited from a variety of rights and opportunities. In his work Bebel describes the Mohammedan period and everyday life in this time by giving details about different institutions and social groups. Having represented the era and shown that things were not the way they were assumed to be, Bebel reflects the point of view that if the Mohammedan period had not happened, the European Renaissance would not have taken place. This idea is revolutionary in the sense that it regards the East as the origin and the starting point of all modern achievements and accepts it as the source which enabled Europe to reach the level they have reached. Bebels criticism on orientalism and his radical way of dealing with the historical truths about the East is of great importance and can function as a guiding work even today, in a world where the Eurocentric point of view is still valid.
