Prologemon: How I Discovered the Meaning of “Traveling East”

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Published: Dec 1, 2015
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/lincu-2015-0041
Keywords:
colonialism binarisms mesearch travel psychology

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Laurence Raw
Bașkent University, Ankara, Turkey

Abstract

This essay exposes the constructed nature of the east/west binary as a means by which westerners (especially) can reinforce their sense of superiority, while easterners can use it as an intellectual stick to criticize their western counterparts. In its place I advocate a more measured approach based on listening to and understanding alternative perspectives, not only in terms of interpersonal relationships but in terms of personal psychology. The importance of mesearch as a concept, uniting scholarly and personal approaches, is proposed as a means to achieve this aim.

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How to Cite
Raw, L. “Prologemon: How I Discovered the Meaning of ‘Traveling East’”. Linguaculture, vol. 6, no. 2, Dec. 2015, pp. 5-14, doi:10.1515/lincu-2015-0041.
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Vol. 6 No. 2 (2015)
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Editorial Note
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Author Biography

Laurence Raw, Bașkent University, Ankara, Turkey

Laurence Raw writes on adaptation studies both in book form and on two blogs at http://baskent.academia.edu/LaurenceRaw and www.laurenceraw.blogspot.com. His most recent book published with University of Wisconsin Press is Six Turkish Filmmakers (2016). He is currently working on a major work of adaptation theory, unifying psychology, literature, film, and media studies, for Palgrave. In his spare time he teaches in the Department of English at Bașkent University, Ankara, Turkey, where he regards his pedagogic practice as a vital component in adaptation research.

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