One solution could be that writers must first identify themselves, recognize their own personal history and perhaps the collective history to which they belong. Starting from a sense of physical and psychological place, writers can advance into unknown territory. Although somewhat dated, Edward Said's book Orientalism frames much of the rhetoric in postcolonial literary studies. In it, Said suggests that from a place of collective consciousness, writers could speak on behalf of a culture (in this case, Said's East) and avoid the temptation to speak on behalf of a culture.