CultureAugust 30, 2026
orientalists
or-ee-EN-tuh-lists
Definition
Scholars from Western nations who specialized in the study of Eastern, specifically Asian, languages, cultures, and societies.
Etymology
Derived from the Latin word 'oriens,' meaning 'the rising sun' or 'east.' It entered English to describe Western academic interest in the Middle and Far East.
In the news
The article uses the term to describe the 19th-century European scholars who cataloged and interpreted Indian texts through the lenses of colonial-era biases.
Who Will Teach AI to Understand India?
Read the full article ↗The New Indian Express