Occidentosis
Occidentosis (or gharbzadegi) is a Persian term coined by Jalal Al-i Ahmad to describe a societal “sickness” or “plague” resulting from the uncritical adoption of Western culture, technology, and consumerism by non-Western societies, particularly in Iran. It signifies a “West-struckness” or “Westoxication” that leads to cultural alienation, an impaired national identity, and a loss of authentic local traditions, while simultaneously turning these societies into passive consumers and pawns of Western economies and politics.
Origin and Meaning
Etymology: The term (gharbzadegi) literally means “West-struckness” or “Westoxication”.
Coinage: It was popularized by the Iranian intellectual and writer Jalal Al-i Ahmad, though the concept was also initially explored by the philosopher Ahmad Fardid.
Key Aspects of Occidentosis
Cultural Alienation: Societies become infatuated with Western lifestyles, values, and appearances, leading to a cultural detachment from their own heritage.
Economic Dependency: The term highlights the subjugation of developing nations as passive consumers of Western industrial goods and technology, rather than creators.
Impaired Judgment: This “infatuation” is seen to impair rational judgment, preventing people from recognizing the detrimental “toxins” of the West.
Focus on Technology: A central concern is how the uncritical adoption of Western machinery and industrial products forces societies to conform their ways of life to the demands of the machine.
Loss of Identity: Occidentosis results in a superficial imitation of Western life that devalues national culture and identity, creating a disconnect between traditional structures and the imposed Western models.
Jalal Al-i Ahmad’s Work
His seminal 1960s book, Occidentosis: A Plague from the West, explores this phenomenon, diagnosing the “disease” infecting Iranian society.
He argued that the uncritical embrace of Western models in education, arts, and culture transformed Iran into a mere consumer market and a pawn in Western geopolitics.
The book was influential in the ideological landscape of Iran, foreshadowing the Islamic Revolution by critiquing the deep societal problems caused by this Western influence.