Melani McAlister

Culture and history are interdependent concepts that have always influenced and finalized the path of human societies as time progressed. The actor of culture in determining the prevalence of an ideology or a specific society has never been most evident than when the human societies were progressing towards accelerated suppuration in the 19th and 20th centuries.Melani McAlisters Epic Encounters and Edward tells Orientalism demonstrate human societies preoccupation in uncovering the truth and reality crumb the seemingly accelerated progress of developed nations over other developing or underdeveloped nations. The two authors expressed particular interest in reasonableness what set apart Western nations from gist Eastern or Oriental nations, as conceptualized by McAlister and state, respectively.In their discussion of the Western society and the otherness of Middle Eastern and Oriental nations, the authors go oned researches utilizing different methodologies. In understanding M cAlisters analyses of the otherness of Middle Eastern nations from the United States, she conducted research based on cultural artifacts, in the first place mass media artifacts that chronicle the history of the US-Middle East relationship. Said, meanwhile, looked into the history of the creation and development of Orientalism based on a meta-analysis of historical and cultural documents that can provide greater understanding and additional perspective in determining the specific point from which Orientalism sprang from.The central focus of this proposal is to provide a comparison of McAlisters and Saids respective concepts of otherness, as ascertained by their (1) conceptualization of the societies under study, and (2) methodologies adopted by the researchers (McAlister and Said) in coming up with their generalizations. In effect, the researcher proposes a meta-analysis by looking closely into the two authors conceptualization and operationalization of the concept of otherness, in the context of Middle Eastern, Oriental, and Western societies.The first phase of the proposed study is to uncover how McAlister and Said developed their respective concepts of otherness, applied in the context of Middle Eastern and Oriental cultures, respectively. The rationale for determining this first step of the meta-analysis study is to first determine whether the authors developed similar criteria in developing the concept, otherness.It is interesting to note that upon closer study of their works, McAlisters concept of otherness is more culture-based, while Saids was centered on history. These differences in perspectives made their analysis radically different, while still maintaining one focus the theme of Other versus Western society. However, in the conduct of the meta-analysis of the otherness concept, it is vital to note that both authors subsisted to analyzing cultural productsmass media artifacts for McAlister, and historical documents for Said.A major influence that helped determine otherness in the authors works was the methodological analysis they used in analyzing the different societies under study. Analyses of their methodologies would provide more depth in the researchs interpretation of otherness.In fact, combining a meta-analysis on the concept of otherness and methodologies used to understand otherness provides triangulation in the study, giving the researcher more direction in determining which between McAlister and Said provided a more accurate and objective conceptualization of otherness. The last phase of the proposed study will integrate the findings from the first two phases of the study, giving an overall picture of the authors fundament for focusing on the concept of otherness as determined by history and culture.ReferencesMcAlister, M. (2001). Epic Encounters culture, media, and US interests in the Middle East. University of California Press.Said, E. (1979). Orientalism. NY Vintage.