Orient

The term the Orient literally refers simply to the rising of the sun, being derived from the Latin word oriens. It is used to mean "the East". Similar terms are the French-derived "Levant" and "Anatolia" from the Greek anatole, two further locations for the direction in which the sun rises.

"Orient" and "Oriental" have been used in English to refer to both Near and Far Eastern countries, including the Middle East, China, Japan, and India. For example, Mizrahi Jews are often referred to as Oriental Jews, while the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies focuses on Africa as well as the Middle East and East Asia.

For discussion of history or current events, more specific words such as the Middle East, Southeast Asia, or individual country names may be preferred.

There is an opposite term "Occident", which literally refers to the setting of the sun, being derived from the Latin word occidens, refers to "the West", but nowadays the word "Occident" is hardly used.

Political correctness in the United States

Though the word "Oriental" itself is neutral, it has come to be thought of as offensive or politically incorrect in the United States because of its connection with nineteeth century attitudes to the East, and the fact that it is a blanket term for an inspecific category of peoples. The term Oriental has come to be associated with an opposition between "East" and "West", where the East was seen as backwards, exotic, and patriarichal, while the West was seen as logical, rational, and more modern. Additionally, many of the universities in Europe that historically offered courses in Oriental Studies were riddled with inaccurate information that clouded the reality of the people the studies referred to. These distorted pictures of Eastern peoples were used to justify colonization of the countries. Some Asian Americans see parallels between the word "Oriental" and "nigger". However, many see it as simply old-fashioned, as many African-Americans see the word "Negro".

See also

• Orientalism
• Orient Watches
• Occident (the opposite of Orient)
• Asian