Which of the following is true of Edward Said’s Orientalism?
(A) It was published in 1979.
(B) Utilises the concept of discursive formulation as argued by Foucault.
(C) He has taken up the detailed analysis of imaginative geography and representation of the Orient.
(D) It is one of the foundational texts of Postcolonial theory.
(E) It puts to use Barthes’ concept of ‘death of the author’.
Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

The correct option is (B), (C) and (D) Only.

Edward Said's seminal work, Orientalism, published in 1978 (making statement A incorrect, as it was not published in 1979), is a foundational text in postcolonial studies. Let us analyze why statements (B), (C), and (D) are correct, while (A) and (E) are incorrect:

Statement (B) is correct: Edward Said heavily utilizes Michel Foucault’s concept of "discourse" and "discursive formulation" (from The Archaeology of Knowledge and Discipline and Punish) to explain how the West created a systematic discipline for managing, producing, and authorizing views about the Orient. Said argues that without examining Orientalism as a discourse, one cannot understand the enormously systematic discipline by which European culture was able to manage and even produce the Orient politically, sociologically, militarily, ideologically, scientifically, and imaginatively.

Statement (C) is correct: A major part of Said's analysis in Orientalism focuses on "imaginative geography," which is the practice of projecting geographical distinctions and cultural boundaries onto physical spaces (us/West vs. them/East). He conducts a detailed examination of how Western writers, poets, scholars, and politicians historically represented, constructed, and essentialized the "Orient" through this imaginative geography.

Statement (D) is correct: Orientalism is universally recognized as one of the foundational, pioneering texts of Postcolonial theory, establishing the academic framework for examining colonial discourse, cultural imperialism, and the representations of colonized societies.

Statement (E) is incorrect: Said does not base his methodology on Roland Barthes’ concept of the "death of the author." On the contrary, Said believes in the agency of the writer/intellectual and maintains that individual authors are personally and historically responsible for their texts, which contradicts Barthes' post-structuralist notion that the author's intentions or biography are irrelevant to the text's meaning.

Therefore, statements (B), (C), and (D) are the only true statements regarding Edward Said's Orientalism.