The Squint-Eyed Southerner as a Case Study of Orientalism in The Lord of the Rings

Abstract

Caricatures of the foreign Other poke their heads through the windows and doors of Middle-earth. The “Squint-Eyed Southerner” can serve as a case study, highlighting Tolkien’s perspective on the “least lovely Mongol-types” as an amalgamation of both contemporary Yellow Peril, and Medieval fears of Far Eastern cultural superiority post-Marco Polo. This note is a brief look into the author's ongoing work, as presented as a round table presentation for The International Medieval Conference at Kalamazoo in 2023 on the issues of race and racisms in Tolkien's Medievalism. It aims to both illuminate a widely overlooked form of racism present in The Lord of the Rings and to encourage compassionate discussion regarding these issues.