 Edward Said 's notability as cultural critic was established with his critique ( description and analyses ) of Orientalism as the source of the inaccurate cultural representations that are the foundation of Western thought towards the Middle East , of how The West perceives and represents The East . The thesis of Orientalism ( 1978 ) proposes the existence of a " subtle and persistent Eurocentric prejudice against Arabo – Islamic peoples and their culture " , which derives from Western culture 's long tradition of false and romanticized images of Asia , in general , and the Middle East , in particular . Said argued that such perceptions and consequent cultural representations have served , and continue to serve , as implicit justifications for the colonial and imperialist ambitions of the European powers and of the U.S. Likewise , Said also criticized and denounced the political and the cultural malpractices of the regimes of the ruling Arab elites who have internalized the false , romanticized representations of Arabic culture that were created by Anglo – American Orientalists . 
