Orientalist Semiology in World of Interiors

Authors

  • Sophia Honerkamp University of Alabama

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/bsor.26796

Keywords:

orientalism, barthes, myth, the world of interiors

Abstract

The Experiment is where scholars work out ideas out loud. In this edition, the Bulletin features an illustration of how Barthesian semiology can provide a useful framework through which to understand the operation of mythic language. Editorial Assistant Sophia Honerkamp performs a Close Reading of the July 2022 issue of interior design magazine The World of Interiors to examine manifestations of Orientalism and myth in everyday life. For Honerkamp, this example is an opportunity to explore the role of the audience in the perpetuation of myth, how mythic language evolves, and how to identify myth in active form.

References

Barthes, Roland. [1957] 1972. Mythologies. Translated by Annette Lavers. Poland: Hill and Wang.

Bayart, Jean-Francois. [1996] 2005. The Illusion of Cultural Identity. Translated by Steven Rendall, Janet Roitman, Cynthia Schoch, and Jonathan Derrik. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Bowles, Hamish. July 2022. “Palm for the Soul.” World of Interiors. United Kingdom: The Conde Nast Publications Ltd.

Halard, François. July 2022. “Secret Gardens: Exploring the World of Exteriors, from Piazzas to Pergolas, Petworth to the Peloponnese.” World of Interiors. United Kingdom: The Conde Nast Publications Ltd.

Lincoln, Bruce. 1999. Theorizing Myth: Narrative, Ideology, and Scholarship. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Moriarty, Michael. 1991. Roland Barthes. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

Rancière, Jacques. [2003] 2019. The Future of the Image. United Kingdom: Verso.

Said, Edward W. [1978] 1995. Orientalism. India: Penguin Group.

Published

2023-12-01

Issue

Section

The Experiment

Categories

How to Cite

Honerkamp, S. (2023). Orientalist Semiology in World of Interiors. Bulletin for the Study of Religion, 52(2), 57-60. https://doi.org/10.1558/bsor.26796