Orientalism is a 1978 book by Edward Said in the field of post-colonial studies in which he argues against the Eurocentric biases of academia, politics, economics and culture. Romantic and exotic conceptions of "the Orient" and the Middle East have dominated in Western culture, allowing for misconceptions and laying the groundwork for colonialism. Furthermore, Said argues, these misconceptions have been adapted by the elite of these regions themselves as an internalization of the Eurocentric perspective.