Neo-orientalism
Neo-orientalism describes contemporary variants of Orientalist perspectives, focusing mainly on Western viewpoints regarding Islam and the Islamic world following the events of 9/11. While it represents a progression from traditional Orientalism, both share characteristics such as being "monolithic, totalizing, reliant on binary logic, and based on assumptions of moral and cultural superiority," as highlighted by Mubarak Altwaiji, Ali Behdad, and Juliet A. Williams. Neo-orientalism functions as "an extension of persistent Orientalist portrayals."
A key distinction is that neo-Orientalists are frequently individuals from the Middle East whose claimed authenticity grants credibility to their analyses. In contrast to classical Orientalists—who were generally European intellectuals and artists—neo-Orientalists utilize their indigenous background combined with Western influence to offer narratives regarded as more authoritative. Furthermore, neo-orientalism directly addresses political issues in the Middle East, whereas classical Orientalism concentrated more on linguistic and cultural studies.
The concept does not possess a standardized definition. For example, Maajid Nawaz has applied the term to challenge the Southern Poverty Law Center for branding him an anti-Muslim extremist.
Differing from classical Orientalism’s wide-ranging critique of Eastern cultures, neo-Orientalism discourse mainly concentrates on Muslim nations, particularly those in the Middle East and North Africa.