ORIENTALISM: ITS ESSENCE AND MANIFESTATIONS

Abstract

The distinguishing characteristic of modern scientific papers is the research of crosscultural relations through the prism of post-colonial theories, among which outstanding works by Ukrainian and foreign scientists (O. Zabuzhko, M. Riabchuk, M. Shkandriy, M. Pavlyshyn and others) differentiate from others. The theory of Orientalism takes pride of places among postcolonial theories. The founder of the theory of Orientalism is considered an American professor Edward Said. In his book "Orientalism" he defines Orientalism as a Western way of restructuring, cultural domination and political domination over the Orient. Said argues that West has always examined East through the lens of Orientalism, despite the objective realities of eastern life. Taking oriental East as an example he shows that interest in "Other" helps to realize "Own" identity better. As described E. Said, the West uses East as an exotic land that Europeans are forced to be oriental. The author argues that European culture is able to realize their identity much stronger and better in comparison with the East as an artificially created and sometimes hidden and opposite essence. We extrapolate the concept of E. Said to Ukrainian-Russian relations and try to find out who played the role of East for Russia in the nineteenth century. Postcolonial studies of modern scholars M. Molchanov and M. Shkandrij explain the interest of Poland and Russia in the Ukrainian history and culture as a desire to study and create their own national identities. In the nineteenth century Ukraine was wild outskirts, dangerous but attractive edge, full of romantic images, so it was important for Russion Empire to civilize the occupation process of uncivilized people. By imperial ideology Ukrainians, as hopeless people, had to assimilate with the dominant nation, enriching its history and culture. Glorification of imperial government was described in the works of G. Derzhavin, A. Pushkin, M. Lermontov, M. Dostoevsky, V. Belinsky and other Russian poets and writers. They wrote about Ukraine (and about Caucasus) as an exotic edge. The comic character of Ukrainian provinces was highly estimated in the Russian community. However, the works of Gogol, except exotism, showed the existence of "Ukrainian soul" that resists assimilation with Russian identity. Within 1820-1840 Ukrainian writers (G. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko, T. Shevchenko, M. Kostomarov, P. Kulish, V. Belozersky) were the first harbingers of Ukrainian national and cultural revival. M. Dashkevich believed that Ukrainian literature originated in their own society was based on previous traditions and was motivated by love for their people and the desire to develop self-awareness, so it has the right to exist.