Analysis of Orientalist approach developments in National Geographic magazine

The purpose of this study was to analyze the representation of East and West in the cover images of National Geographic Magazine from its first issue until the end of 2000, and in this regard, all editions of this journal, during these 112 years that have had a cover image, have been analyzed and a total of 501 images have been analyzed by qualitative content analysis. The results of the research indicate that the main approach of this magazine has been to emphasize the progress and civilization of the West against the backwardness of the East. Also in this magazine, the East is associated with history, the femininity, childhood and old age, emotions, spirituality, poverty, tradition, and low-level ritual and economic activities, while the West is associated with civilization, masculinity, youth, logic, technology, wealth, modern and recreational and scientific activities. The results show that the Orientalist background of this journal has not disappeared over time. Rather, these stereotypes have been revived and strengthened in a new way.Today, the same colonial views of the past are seen with a more ornate appearance in which some old elements have been removed and new elements have been added. Thus, the legitimation of Western domination of the East in the earlier periods, with the demonstration of the inherent and essential superiority of the West, and in later periods by accepting the possibility of change and development in the East, provided the transfer of culture and technology from the West