Definition

1. Noun:
   • The distinctive qualities, customs, or mannerisms characteristic of Western (European and American) civilization. This meaning refers to the set of traits, social practices, and cultural attributes that are identified as typical of the Western world.
   • The academic study of Western cultures, languages, and peoples. This meaning refers to a scholarly discipline focused on understanding the history, societies, and intellectual traditions of the West.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Cultural Characteristics):
  • The architecture reflected a clear occidentalism, with its classical columns and symmetrical design.
  • Some critics argue that the film promotes a simplistic occidentalism by portraying all Western characters as individualistic and rational.
• Noun (Scholarly Field):
  • Her PhD is in Occidentalism, focusing on 19th-century French political thought.
  • The university's department of Occidentalism offers courses in European history and philosophy.

Advanced Usage

• As a critical term: In post-colonial and cultural studies, "occidentalism" is sometimes used to describe the often stereotypical or essentializing representation of the West by non-Western societies, mirroring the concept of "orientalism" but in reverse.
  • The author examines how Eastern narratives have constructed an occidentalism that homogenizes diverse Western nations.

Variants and Related Words

• Occidental (adj): Relating to the countries of the West.
  • Occidental philosophy has its roots in ancient Greece.
• Occidentalist (n): A scholar who studies Western cultures.
  • The conference was attended by leading occidentalists from around the world.

Synonyms

• Westernism: The character, spirit, or qualities of the Western world.
• Eurocentrism: (Note: This has a more specific, often critical, connotation of evaluating other cultures according to Western standards, whereas "occidentalism" is more descriptive of characteristics or a field of study.)

Related Phrases

• "Critique of occidentalism": A scholarly analysis questioning the representations or assumptions about Western culture.
  • Her latest book is a sharp critique of occidentalism in contemporary media.

Noun

1. the quality or customs or mannerisms characteristic of Western civilizations
2. the scholarly knowledge of western cultures and languages and people