Aladdin was supposed to be Chinese in a 19th century English version of an 18th century French version of a Middle Eastern story... It all has the sound of exotic Orientalism, which is a very European concept... So Aladdin is basically a faux oriental "exotic" from the git-go. White guy in light-brown makeup would seem reasonable when you think about it.
In the original story, Aladdin was Chinese.
ReplyDeleteAladdin was supposed to be Chinese in a 19th century English version of an 18th century French version of a Middle Eastern story... It all has the sound of exotic Orientalism, which is a very European concept... So Aladdin is basically a faux oriental "exotic" from the git-go. White guy in light-brown makeup would seem reasonable when you think about it.
ReplyDelete