《降世神通：最後的氣宗》是一部東方傳奇電視卡通影集，主要由美國白人製作。它因為引人入勝的世界觀和故事，而廣受好評。儘管如此，我認為這部卡通背後的意識形態鞏固並強化了美國東方主義的智識權威。卡通裡的東方世界被設計成腐敗墮落的模樣，等待有人拯救它，並重建其秩序。而主角神通王安昂便是美國人創造的救世主代表人物，有著美國流行文化中的「東方僧侶」（Oriental Monk）的意象，能將苦受百年戰爭和失去文化的東方拯救出來。另一方面，反派角色烈火國這個強大的極權國家，有著數一數二的科技，充滿了科技東方主義中論述的強大殘暴的東方的形象，勾起西方對東方的歷史的恐懼。最終，東方僧侶的意象與科技東方主義在卡通中合流，合理化了西方高高在上凝視東方的姿態，儘管那個東方是他們自己創造的，並用來滿足自己擔當東方救世主的慾望。為了理解智識權威如何在這部卡通裡運作、合理化西方對東方的控制，我將借用薩依德的方法論——策略位置與策略形構——來探討卡通裡隱含的美國東方主義的意識形態。;Avatar: The Last Airbender is an American-made TV cartoon series. Most critics give positive views of its immersive world-building and great storytelling. However, I argue that the ideology behind the white-production show consolidates the intellectual authority reproduced by American Orientalism. The Avatar world is designed as an ancient but corrupting Orient waiting to be saved and rebuilt. Moreover, I argue that the protagonist Avatar Aang fits the iconography of Oriental Monk in American popular culture, which is representative of the Western savior that redeems the Orient from the Hundred Year War and the loss of cultures. On the other hand, the imperialist Fire Nation is a totalitarian nation with advanced technology that reflects the West’s historical fear of powerful Far East nations in the discourse of techno-Orientalism. At last, the convergence of the iconography of Oriental Monk and techno-Orientalism in the show rationalizing the Western gaze upon the Orient they manufacture not only positions themselves as saviors of the Orient but satisfies their own savior fantasy toward the Orient. To understand how the intellectual authority operates in the show for rationalizing the West’s supremacy over the Orient, I will borrow Edward W. Said’s methodological devices, strategic location and strategic formation, to explore the ideology of American Orientalism in the show.
