This collection of eleven essays reevaluates Edward Said’s definition of "orientalism" widely misconstrued as being merely postcolonial and contestable. The volume emphasizes the need to move beyond the prejudice and stereotype tied to the context of colonial exploitation. It challenges the assumption that oriental studies only served to segregate cultures and undermine the oriental peoples" capacity for self-formation. It shows how cultures can generate studies of themselves on their own, and the impetus for such work was clearly noticeable at least in Indian cultural scholarship during the colonial period.