Orient
The Latin word oriens means rising, a simple verb that became the name for the East. Ancient temples in Jerusalem and Rome often faced east to greet the morning sun. This direction held spiritual weight across many cultures. Armenian speakers call the east Arevelk, which translates directly to sunrise. Russian uses Vostok, derived from voskhod, meaning the sun's ascent. Hebrew mizrah carries the same root idea of illumination and rising light. Arabic sharaqa describes shining or radiating from the eastern horizon. The concept spread through Kazakh shygu and Turkish doğmak, both evoking birth or emergence. Japan earned its nickname as the Land of the Rising Sun because of this shared linguistic heritage. These words all point to the same celestial event: the sun appearing above the horizon.
Emperor Diocletian reorganized the Roman Empire between 284 and 305 AD during his reign. He created the Diocese of the Orient, known in Latin as Dioecesis Orientis. Later in the fourth century, the Praetorian prefecture of the Orient expanded administrative control. This region stretched from Thrace eastward toward Syria, covering much of the Eastern Roman Empire. The original diocese corresponded roughly to modern-day Syria and surrounding territories. Ecclesiastical orders followed these political boundaries after the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Maps from around 300 show how the empire divided its eastern provinces into distinct administrative units. These structures helped manage trade routes and military defenses across the Mediterranean basin. The term orient became tied to specific geographic zones under imperial rule rather than abstract directions.
European understanding of the Orient moved steadily eastward over centuries of exploration. Early definitions included only Egypt, the Levant, and areas extending west to Morocco. By the 1800s, India began displacing the Levant as the primary focus of Orientalist research. China appeared less frequently but gained prominence by mid-century descriptions. Tolstoy's War and Peace novel published in 1869 described Moscow as an Asiatic city with oriental beauty. American historian William Prescott used phrases like barbaric pomp truly Oriental when writing about Aztec nobility in 1843. Karl Wittfogel included Rome and the Incan Empire in his 1957 study called Oriental Despotism. Western scholars eventually narrowed their view to East Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of Central Asia. Today the term evokes images of countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Philippines, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and Brunei. Large regions such as Siberia remain excluded from scholarly notions of the Orient despite being part of Asia.
Edward Said published his influential book titled Orientalism in 1978. The Palestinian-American scholar argued that Western academic traditions contained prejudiced outsider interpretations. He traced these attitudes back to European imperialism during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Artists who specialized in Oriental subjects often drew on travels to North Africa and Western Asia. These painters created scenes featuring nude women in harem or bathing settings common in much Orientalist art. Lord Byron used the word Orientalism once in 1812 within a publication by the Royal Society. The Oxford English Dictionary cites only one early usage before Said's work gained traction. Scholars began replacing traditional terms with Asian Studies in some countries after this critique emerged. The debate shifted how researchers approached cultures outside the former Byzantine Empire and Sasanian Empire. Regions sharing cultural legacies with Oriental Orthodox churches retained different historical associations than those further east.
John Kuo Wei Tchen directed the Asian/Pacific/American Studies Program at New York University during the 1970s. He explained that many Asian Americans identified the term Oriental with racializing processes during the anti-war movement. Washington State prohibited using the word Oriental in legislation and government documents. Instead, officials preferred the word Asian for official communications. President Obama signed legislation H.R. 4238 in 2016 replacing the outdated term with Asian American in federal law. This change followed efforts led by Congresswoman Grace Meng from New York. Some people consider the term derogatory due to historical discrimination against Chinese, Korean, and Japanese communities. Modern definitions exclude Jews, Indians, Arabs, and most other South or West Asian peoples. Contemporary American English usually refers to things from East Asia traditionally occupied by East Asians. Most Central Asians and Southeast Asians racially categorized as Mongoloid fall within these boundaries today.
British judges issued guidelines encouraging political correctness where oriental should be avoided because it may be considered racist. Yet the word remains common for Chinese takeaways and traditional chip shops throughout Britain. Asian in Great Britain typically refers specifically to South Asia including Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, Bhutan, and Afghanistan. People of South Asian background make up approximately 9.3% of the UK population overall. Orientals refer exclusively to those of East and Southeast Asian origin comprising about 0.7% of the total population. Hong Kong has been called Pearl of the Orient alongside Shanghai in British colonial history. Uruguay officially names itself the Oriental Republic of Uruguay based on its location east of the Uruguay River. The adjective Oriental serves as Uruguay's demonym with formal or solemn connotations since the eighteenth century. German speakers use Morgenland poetically while Asiaten means Asian people generally. France maintains Pyrénées-Orientales as a département name reflecting eastern positioning relative to Paris.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
What does the Latin word oriens mean and how did it become a name for the East?
The Latin word oriens means rising, which became the name for the East. Ancient temples in Jerusalem and Rome often faced east to greet the morning sun.
When did Emperor Diocletian create the Diocese of the Orient and what territory did it cover?
Emperor Diocletian reorganized the Roman Empire between 284 and 305 AD during his reign. He created the Diocese of the Orient known as Dioecesis Orientis which stretched from Thrace eastward toward Syria.
Why did Edward Said publish Orientalism in 1978 and what was its main argument?
Edward Said published his influential book titled Orientalism in 1978 to argue that Western academic traditions contained prejudiced outsider interpretations. He traced these attitudes back to European imperialism during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
When did President Obama sign legislation replacing the term Oriental with Asian American in federal law?
President Obama signed legislation H.R. 4238 in 2016 replacing the outdated term with Asian American in federal law. This change followed efforts led by Congresswoman Grace Meng from New York.
What percentage of the UK population is identified as Oriental according to British guidelines on political correctness?
Orientals refer exclusively to those of East and Southeast Asian origin comprising about 0.7% of the total population. People of South Asian background make up approximately 9.3% of the UK population overall.