Social sciences and the politics of knowledge: Inculturation and anthropology of knowledge: American orientalism 1945-1970

Abstract

Social sciences have now contributed to a better understanding of society and different cultural spaces that make up the world basing themselves on disciplines such as anthropology, sociology and history. These disciplines are involved in the development of a cognitive environment which allows us to define and delimit Orientalism perceived here as an approach. The purpose of this writing is to compare the organization and ways of Orientalism in two distinct cultural environments (Anglo-Saxon and Arabic) through the analysis of interactions and different structures which preceded its identification. If from the 40s to the 60s showed the emergence of Orientalism as a tool for policy analysis, institutionalization of the scientific community with the establishment of departments of research, growth of foundations roles in funding and policy definition of Area Studies equally sored. This leads us to question the real contribution of Areas Studies in the understanding of the Orient.