Orientalism Studies

At the time Pollock wrote ““Deep Orientalism?”” it is unlikely he could have anticipated the tremendous support for his thesis in the writings of the earliest Indologists. A careful examination of the historical record, however, shows that Pollock was correct in almost all his intuitions. My own research shows that German Indology was always far more preoccu- pied with the rivalry with its European peers than with legitimizing colo- nization. In fact, one can notice a preoccupation throughout its history with claiming a ““European”” identity for itself, albeit one that also takes into consideration its unique place among other European nations. As Pollock has suggested, it is this mixture of Eurocentric consciousness and a need to draw on Åryan heritage that was responsible for the unique status of German ““Orientalism.”” In fact, the ““Orientalist”” aspects of German Orientalism may even have been a side-effect of its concern with European prestige.