Zoë Cramer
Orientalism & Twain: An Analysis of Egyptomania
This summer I plan on looking at the correlation between Orientalism, within the framework provided by Edward Said’s work Orientalism, and the collection formerly on display at the Bancroft library “Object Lessons: Berkeley’s Egyptian Collection.” Exploring the role that Orientalism played in the excavation of the objects on display and permanent collection, I am hoping to show how a form of Orientalism is activated when visitors engage with certain objects within the collection. Furthermore, I will also utilize Mark Twain’s Innocents Abroad, as Twain details what a grand tour typical for upper class Americans to take in this period would be like, covering large parts of Europe and the Holy Land (including Egypt). By doing this, it will allow for a kind of exposition of the kind of framework deployed in excavations by the Americans, as well as how this line of thought still colors our perception of these artifacts today.
Message To Sponsor
Thank you so much for being a donor to this program. I would not have been able to pursue this research over summer without the stipend. It has been an incredibly educational experience, one that I’m sure will inform further research in the semester to come.