For Lust of Knowing

For Lust of Knowing: The Orientalists and their Enemies
Author(s)	Robert Graham Irwin
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre(s)	Non-fiction
Publisher	Penguin Books
Publication date	2006
Media type	Print
Pages	416 pp
ISBN	978-0140289237
OCLC Number	71807778

For Lust of Knowing: The Orientalists and their Enemies, published in the United States under the title Dangerous Knowledge: Orientalism and Its Discontents, is a 2006 non-fiction book by British historian Robert Graham Irwin. The book is both a history of the academic discipline of Orientalism and an attack on Edward Said's 1978 book Orientalism. The title of the British version of the book comes from the poem "The Golden Journey to Samarkand" by James Elroy Flecker.^[1]

Table of Contents

1. The Clash of Ancient Civilizations
2. An Ancient Heresy or a New Paganism
3. Renaissance Orientalism
4. The Holiness of Oriental Studies
5. Enlightenment of a Sort
6. Oriental Studies in the Age of Steam and Cant
7. A House Divided Against Itself
8. The All Too Brief Heydey of Orientalism
9. An Enquiry into the Nature of a Certain Twentieth-Century Polemic
10. Enemies of Orientalism

Reception

British ambassador Oliver Miles, reviewing in The Guardian, praised the work for being "readable, learned, enthusiastic". As for the attacks on Orientalism, Miles states that while "Irwin scores some hits...[he] cannot quite pin Said down."^[1]

The Independent focused on its polemical nature, describing the work as a "petrol-bomb lobbed into the flames of dissent...a self-confessedly partisan document." The reviewer concluded that by the end of all of Irwin's arguments "the reader is left in no doubt that the original premise of Orientalism is highly flawed"; however, he notes that much of "orientalising tendencies" come not from the scholars upon whom Irwin focused, but the multitude of other opinion-makers like journalists and diplomats.^[2]

The New York Times complimented Irwin on the "lively, readable style", but noted that it could be difficult to follow for readers unfamiliar with the field. While calling the attack on Said "bracing", Irwin "makes abundantly clear...that "Orientalism" cannot really be refuted" because it is a political argument.^[3]

Amir Taheri, writing in Asharq Al-Awsat, listed a number of factual and editing errors that Irwin makes in the book, also noting a number of prominent Orientalists left unmentioned. Nevertheless, he found the book enjoyable to read, stating that to his knowledge, it represents "the most complete account of Orientalism from the emergence of its modern version in the 19th century to the present day." He also questioned the need to respond to Said's work with such research, as Said was "more of a political militant than a scholar".^[4]

Editions

United Kingdom

• For Lust of Knowing: The Orientalists and Their Enemies. Allen Lane. 2006. ISBN 978-0713994155.  (Hardcover)
• For Lust of Knowing: The Orientalists and Their Enemies. Penguin Books Ltd. 2007. ISBN 978-0140289237.  (Paperback)

United States

• Dangerous Knowledge: Orientalism and Its Discontents. Overlook Hardcover. 2006. ISBN 978-1585678358.  (Hardcover)
• Dangerous Knowledge: Orientalism and Its Discontents. Overlook TP. 2008. ISBN 978-1590200179.  (Paperback)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Miles, Oliver (2006-02-04). "The fossils bite back". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2006/feb/04/highereducation.news. Retrieved 2009-03-04. "We travel not for trafficking alone; By hotter winds our fiery hearts are fanned: For lust of knowing what should not be known We take the Golden Road to Samarkand" 
2. ^ Rogerson, Barnaby (2006-02-03). "For Lust of Knowing: the Orientalists and their enemies, by Robert Irwin". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/for-lust-of-knowing-the-orientalists-and-their-enemies-by-robert-irwin-525421.html. Retrieved 2009-03-04. 
3. ^ Grimes, William (2006-11-02). "Dangerous Knowledge: Orientalism and its Discontents". The New York Times. http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/02/features/bookven.php. Retrieved 2009-03-04. 
4. ^ Taheri, Amir (2006-05-15). "Book Review: For Lust of Knowing". Asharq Al-Awsat. http://www.asharqalawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=8&id=4945. Retrieved 2009-03-04.