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Definition:
The term displacement simply refers to the idea of removing one thing and putting it
somewhere else and/or replacing it with something. Although it can be used in a number
of ways, its original usage in cultural critiques was created by Freud, who argued
that culturally unacceptable desires are "displaced" onto culturally acceptable
objects. For example, the unacceptable desire for one's mother might be displaced and
reformed as the desire for someone who is very much like the mother.
The concept of displacement has also acquired a further usage through the 1994 book Orientalism, by Edward Said. According to Said, people in the west "displace" aspects of their culture which they do not like and depict them as part of other cultures. Said's focus was how such things were attributed to the cultures of the Middle East. The concept has a political application, as well, because it seems common for politicians to attribute all sorts of unpleasant things to foreign powers or ideas which are also part of local power and ideas, but which no one wants to admit. Thus, Christians might characterize Islam as a violent religion of conquest while ignoring the fact that such attributes have characterized Christianity.
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Related Resources:
What is Philosophy?
What is philosophy? Is there any point in studying philosophy, or is it a useless subject? What are the different branches of philosophy - what's the difference between aestheitcs and ethics? What's the difference between metaphysics and epistemology?
