What does "surrogate" mean in Edward Said’s Orientalism?

The video begins with Massoud Raja introducing a supplemental recording to his earlier discussion on Edward Said's "Orientalism: Introduction Part 1." A viewer had questioned the meaning of the term "surrogate" mentioned in his previous lecture as a possible thesis of the book. Raja quotes Said: "European culture gained in strength and identity by setting itself off against the Orient as a sort of surrogate and even underground self."

Raja explains that Said suggests European identity is oppositional, not substantial, meaning it relies on something else to define itself and gain strength. This 'other' is created through the discourse of Orientalism, with Arabs and the Orient serving this role. The Orient becomes a surrogate or underground self because it helps stabilize European identity by offering an opposite against which Europe can define itself.

Raja discusses the literal definition of surrogate, noting it means one thing substitutes another, citing the medical practice of surrogacy as an example. He applies this to the concept of the Orient in Orientalism, stating that the Orient is the 'surrogate self' or 'surrogate culture' that is absolutely necessary for Europe to sustain its own identity. Europe posits all negative aspects of human experience onto the Orient to claim positive attributes for itself.

To illustrate, Raja explains that if Europeans want to claim they are civilized, disciplined, and reserved, they plant the opposites of these traits onto the Orient, such as sensuality, despotism, and static nature. This process allows Europe to sustain its idea of cultural and individual self by having an 'other' that embodies all the negative attributes against which their positive attributes can be positioned.

Raja summarizes that this roughly explains the term 'surrogate' within the context of Said's thesis, and encourages viewers to watch the first lecture in the series and follow for more readings of Said's "Orientalism." He thanks viewers for their support and asks them to subscribe to his channel.