Both primitivism and orientalism were developed when Europeans were colonizing these parts of the world
I wonder if this was partially due to the colonizing Europeans either consciously or subconsciously looking for reasons or justifications for their colonization.
Some study our closest animal relatives, the primates, in order to understand what biological and social traits humans share with primates and explore what makes humans unique in the animal world.
I think that the question of what makes humans unique in the animal world is a really interesting one, and it would make sense that we study our closest relatives to see those differences. What are the next closest animals to humans after primates?