Reimagining the Orient in Virtual Realm: A Critical Examination of Virtual Reality and Cultural Imperialism in the Middle East

Abstract

This research study explicitly scrutinizes the intersection between Virtual reality and Western cultural imperialism in the Middle East continually glorified by Orientalist discourse. The pervasive nature of Virtual reality (VR) has undoubtedly unlocked new vistas on cultural representation and interplay. In so doing, the Middle East, has become a laughing stock for Orientalists, stigmatizing it as exotic and uncivilized, questioning VR’s role in eternalizing or nullifying western cultural imperialism. Qualitative methodology, incorporating close reading and critical discourse analysis have been employed, scrutinizing how cultural narratives have been devised accompanied by various perspectives on cultural imperialism. This research study’s findings bring forth the fact that how VR technology reinforces or counters cultural imperialism in the Middle East, exploring the potential for VR to promote inter-faith dialogue, eternalizing existing power dynamics. This study offers a refined perspective on VR’s potential to reshape cultural narratives and power dynamics in the Middle East, offering new opportunities for promoting an inclusive representation.

Keywords: Virtual Reality (Vr), Middle East, Cultural Imperialism, Digital Dictatorship, Power Dynamics, Strategic Essentialism