The Orient and the Avant-Garde: Rethinking Surrealism Through Cultural Intersections

The Criterion: An International Journal in English
ISSN: 0976-8165 | Impact Factor: 8.67 | Peer-Reviewed | Open Access
Critical Theory

The Orient and the Avant-Garde: Rethinking Surrealism Through Cultural Intersections

Midhat Tasneem
Vol. 17, Issue 1February 2026Pages 1125-1150Article ID: 2026V17N1062

Abstract

This paper examines Surrealism by analysing the cultural exchanges between the East and West, positing that the movement’s critique of Western rationalism was profoundly influenced by its interaction with Eastern philosophies, aesthetics, and symbolic frameworks. The study employs postcolonial theory, cultural history, and art-historical analysis to examine Surrealist literary and visual works, as well as manifestos and critical writings. It aims to elucidate how Orientalist imaginaries have shaped Surrealist aesthetics, subversive strategies, and notions of the unconscious. Simultaneously, it rigorously examines the imbalances of power and representation inherent in the appropriation and reinterpretation of Eastern cultural forms. The article situates Surrealism within the expansive contexts of colonial histories and global modernism, illustrating how cross-cultural interactions fostered innovative forms of artistic expression and identity development during the early twentieth century. This research advances current discussions surrounding intercultural exchange, global modernism, and the enduring cultural legacies of avant-garde movements.

Keywords

Surrealism, Orientalism, Transculturalism, Postcolonialism, Modernity, Avant-garde

How to Cite

Midhat Tasneem. “The Orient and the Avant-Garde: Rethinking Surrealism Through Cultural Intersections.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 1, Feb. 2026, pp. 1125-1150. ISSN: 0976-8165.

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