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Edward Wadie Said was a Palestinian-American academic, literary critic, and political
activist. As a professor of literature at Columbia University, he was among the founders of post-
colonial studies as a cultural critic, Said is best known for his book Orientalism (1978), it is a
foundational text which critiques the cultural representations that are the bases of Orientalism—
how the Western world perceives the Orient. His model of textual analysis transformed the
academic discourse of researchers in literary theory, literary criticism, and Middle Eastern
studies.

Biography:

Edward W. Said was born on 1 November 1935 to Wadih Said and Hilda Moussa in the
Talbiyya neighborhood of Jerusalem. He had four sisters: Rose, Jane, Joyce, and Grace. He and
his wife, Mariam Cortas, had a son, Wadih, and a daughter, Najla.

Said's early education was in Cairo where his father had moved from Jerusalem in 1929 and
established a stationary company. Said enrolled at the Gezira Preparatory School in the Egyptian
capital. In 1947, the family spent much of the year in Jerusalem, and Said attended St. George's
School. Most of the family left Jerusalem in 1948, and so he enrolled at the new branch of
Victoria College in Cairo (the main branch being in Alexandria). He was expelled from Victoria
College in 1951, and his father sent him to the Northfield Mount Hermon School in
Massachusetts, an elite Anglican preparatory boarding school from which he graduated in 1953.

Academic achievement:

Edward Said completed his undergraduate studies at Princeton in 1957 and then earned an MA
(1960) and a PhD in English literature (1964) from Harvard University. One year before
formally completing his doctoral requirements, he joined the English and Comparative Literature
faculty at Columbia University in New York City, where he began an illustrious career as a
university professor. Columbia University served as his academic home for the remainder of his
career, though he did accept several visiting scholar positions (at Harvard, Stanford, and Yale,
among others).

Edward Said was a literary critic, cultural theorist and political activist, best known for his
ground breaking work in post colonial studies. His major works includes:-

1. Orientalism (1978): A foundational text that critiques how the West perceives the orient.

2. Representations of the Intellectual: A collection of lectures from 1993.

3. The Question of Palestine (1979): A work that explores the Palestinian cause.
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4. Covering Islam (1981): A work that explores how the media and experts shape perceptions of
Islam.

5. After the Last Sky: A work that explores Palestinian lives.

6. Out of Place (1999): A work that explores themes of identity and displacement.

7. Culture and Imperialism (1993): A follow-up to Orientalism, this book expands his critique of
colonial discourse to include literature from the British and French empires.

Said was a foundational figure in post colonial studies, best known for his book Orientalism
(1978). He is considered the father of post colonialism. His works challenge Western perceptions
of the East, particularly how European and American scholars, writers and politicians created
stereotypical representations of the Middle East, Asia and North Africa. Why is Edward Said
important as a post colonial writer?. Orientalism exposed how the West (Europe and the US)
misinterpreted as the East as exotic, backward and inferior. This justified colonialism and
imperial denomination. He challenged the power structures. He highlighted how literature
academia and media reinforced colonial ideologies, shaping how people in the West viewed
colonized societies. His influenced on Literature and Cultural Societies, analyzing how
colonialism shaped literature, showing how authors like Joseph Conrad (Heart of Darkness) and
Rudyard Kipling (The White Man’s Burden) reinforced imperial narratives.

As a Palestinian-American intellectual, Said was a strong advocate for Palestinian self

determination, linking colonial oppression with modern struggles for independence. His ideas
remain influential in discussion about race identity, globalization and power dynamics in
literature, history and politics.

Edward Said’s works revolve around several recurring themes, which he explored across
different disciplines, including literature, history and politics. The most common themes in his
writings are:-

1. Orientalism and Cultural Representation: In Orientalism (1978), Said examines how Western
literature and scholarship have historically misinterpreted the East (Middle East, Asia and North
Africa). He argues that these representations reinforce stereotypes, depicting Eastern societies as
exotic, primitive or inferior, serving colonial and imperialist interest.
2. Colonialism and Imperialism: Said critiques that the lasting impact of colonial rule, showing
how imperialist ideologist persists even after former colonialism ends. He explores how
literature and academic discourse have been tools for justifying Western domination over other
cultures.

3. Exile, Displacement and Identity: As a Palestinian exile, Said frequently wrote about the
psychological and cultural effects of displacement. He describes exile as a fragmented condition,
where individuals exist between two worlds, unable to fully belong to either.
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4. Power and Knowledge: Influenced by Michael Foucault, Said argues that knowledge
production is closely tied to power structures. Western academic field like,” Oriental Studies ” ,
were not neutral rather served to reinforced Western dominance over the East.

5. The Role of Intellectuals: He argues that intellectuals should challenge authority, questioned
dominant ideologies and defend truth and justice. He criticizes academics who align with power
structures instead of speaking on behalf of the oppressed. These themes reflect his commitment
to justice, critical thinking and a deeper understanding of power, identity and representation.

Orientalism as defined by Edward Said is a Western way of representing the East—particularly

the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia—that reinforces stereotypes and justifies power
dynamics. Edward Said argued that this portrayal depicts Eastern societies as exotic, irrational,
backward, and inferior, in contrast to a supposedly modern, rational, and superior West.

This extends beyond literature and politics into media, pop culture, fashion, and music, where the
East is often reduced to fantasy, mystery, or danger:

Hollywood & TV – Films like Aladdin, Indiana Jones, and The Mummy use Middle Eastern and
Asian cultures as exotic backdrops, often filled with magic, danger, or barbarism.

News Media – Western coverage of the Middle East and Asia often focuses on war, terrorism,
and instability, reinforcing ideas of these regions as violent and uncivilized.

Fashion – Designers frequently appropriate Eastern aesthetics (e.g., turbans, harem pants, Arabic
calligraphy) without context, treating them as exotic trends rather than cultural heritage.

Music – Western artists incorporate Middle Eastern or Asian instruments, sounds, and dance
styles in ways that often reduce them to stereotypes (e.g., belly dancing in pop videos).

These representations reinforce the idea that the East is an “Other” to be consumed, mystified, or
feared rather than understood on its own terms. However, recent efforts by filmmakers, artists,
and scholars from these regions are pushing back against these narratives, offering more
authentic self-representations.

Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978) is a foundational work in postcolonial studies. In it, Said
critiques how the West (the Occident) has historically represented the East (the Orient) in a way
that reinforces Western dominance. He argues that Orientalism is not just a field of study but a
framework of power a system of knowledge production that portrays Eastern societies as exotic,
backward, and inferior, justifying colonialism and imperialism.
The concept of Orientalism as Occident-Orient-Other is central to Edward Said’s critique of how
the West (Occident) constructs and represents the East (Orient) as an inferior and exotic "Other."
This framework highlights the power dynamics embedded in Western discourse about the East.
Here's a breakdown:
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1. Occident (The West) – The West (Europe and later America) sees itself as rational, modern,
and superior. It assumes the authority to define and categorize the East.
2. Orient (The East) – The East is depicted as mysterious, backward, and irrational, a place of
sensuality and despotism. This portrayal serves Western interests, justifying colonialism and
control.
3. Othering – The Orient is not described as it is, but rather as a constructed opposite of the West.
This process dehumanizes Eastern people, making them subjects of Western knowledge rather
than independent agents.
This structure of Occident-Orient-Other is key to understanding Orientalism as a discourse of
power, shaping not only historical colonial policies but also modern representations in media,
politics, and academia.
Orientalism and Occidentalism are two related but opposite concepts.
Orientalism, as defined by Edward Said, refers to the Western (Occidental) way of depicting the
East (Orient) as exotic, backward, mysterious, or inferior. It is a colonialist perspective that
justifies Western dominance over Eastern societies by portraying them as in need of Western
intervention or control.
Occidentalism is the reverse: it refers to how Eastern societies view and sometimes stereotype
the West (Occident). It can involve seeing the West as materialistic, soulless, imperialistic, or
morally corrupt. Like Orientalism, it often simplifies and distorts the reality of Western cultures.
Both concepts show how different societies construct images of each other, often for political,
cultural, or ideological purposes.
Orientalism and Occident (the West).
Orientalism is the way the West (Occident) has historically represented the East (Orient) through
stereotypes—seeing it as exotic, mystical, or backward. This concept was analyzed by Edward
Said, who argued that these portrayals served colonial interests and reinforced Western
dominance.
Occident refers to the Western world, including Europe and, in modern contexts, North America.
It is often contrasted with the Orient (the East), but this binary is problematic because it
oversimplifies diverse cultures.
The term "Orient" historically refers to the East, particularly regions like the Middle East, South
Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. It comes from the Latin oriens, meaning "rising" (as in the
rising sun), which contrasts with Occident, meaning "setting" (the West).
Orientalism is a Western style for coming to terms with the Orient. For this purpose first the
Orient should be known, and scholars, philologists, travelers, administrators, etc. contributed to
this end. Later this knowledge of the Orient transforms to power structures and appears in forms
of colonialism and imperialism. At this moment the relationship of the Occident and Orient
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becomes the relationship of “power, of domination, of varying degree of a complex hegemony”

(Said, 1978:5). This discourse is a new study of colonialism and states that the representation of
the Orient in European literary canon has contributed to the creation of a binary opposition
between Europe’s and its other. Although the geographical line between the West and East is an
imaginary and artificial one, the acceptance of this binarism with the former as privileged and the
latter as unprivileged is taken for granted by the Western scholars.
With an oversimplified designation, we can define Orientalism as the study of the Orient, i.e.
East by the Orientalists or Western scholars. This definition carries three presuppositions: that
Orientalism is the field of the study, that the subject of the study is the Orient and that European
scholars deal with it. But this definition is inadequate because this definition overlooks many
intentions and interests behind the study which are political, commercial, and scientific. In
addition, Orientalism is a style of thought based upon an “ontological and epistemological
distinction made between “the Orient” and (most of time) the Occident”

Conclusion
The central claims that Said made regarding Orientalism can be summarized as follows:
First, while Orientalism presents itself as an objective field of study, it was used to justify the
political domination of the East by the West.
Secondly, Orientalism was actually more about defining itself through the mirror of the East
rather than it was about objectively studying it.
Third, points one and two are produced and reinforced by viewing the Orient as a homogenous
group. This essentialist thinking was a false way of viewing people groups and their culture.
Edward Said also rejects the validity of the terms Orient and Occident. Still, he employs them
because this is how the argument has been framed by the Orientalists.
Lastly, the Orientalist scholars are the product of the system they come from. Due to this, they
can’t help but to misrepresent the ‘Other’. Therefore, what we need is for the subaltern to speak
for itself.
Many critics and audiences praise Edward Said for his contributions in shaping the foundation of
orientalism, but it has also been met with many criticisms as well. His “Orientalism” has been
criticized as monolithic in its conceptions of the Orient and the Occident. He is also criticized for
ignoring the fact that every Orientalist did not condemn the East. The most scathing criticism of
Orientalism came from the right wing intellectuals. Edward Alexander writing for the right-wing
journal, Commentary, dubbed him a pedantic and a fanatic for his criticism of the West. .Marxist
critic Aizaz Ahmad in the fifth chapter of his book, In Theory: Classes, Nations, Literatures
(1992), criticizes Said for embracing the ideals of humanism when humanism as history has been
rejected. He objects that Said supposes that there is a unified Western identity which is at the
origin of history and this seamless history does not change.
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Said’s Orientalism presents a critical viewpoint and an interpretive methodology that initiates the
approach often called ‘postcolonial studies’ in today’s social science and humanities. In this
approach, determining who controls knowledge and representation and who constructs
representations in colonial situations is just as important as determining who owns the productive
resources or who exercises the powers of government. The purpose of this presentation was to
introduce some of the key ideas of the best known literary critic of the twentieth century,
especially his notion of Orientalism. Said’s critique of Orientalism, as seen above, had its
shortcomings, but Said’s overarching critique opened up new possibilities for speaking on the
politics of representation and on the role cultural texts played in this. Postcolonial discourse
analysis, subaltern studies and many other forms of critical reading developed out of Said’s
arguments in Orientalism. The analysis of Said’s life and work ultimately indicate that literary
criticism at its best can be a form of activism.
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References
Edward Said | American Literary Critic & Philosopher | Britannica

https://ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in/engp10/chapter/orientalism-and-thereafter-edward-said/
https://elifnotes.com/edward-said-orientalism-definition-summary-analysis-quotes/
Orientalism and Thereafter: Edward Said – Literary Criticism and Theory

"Introduction to Orientalism" by Edward W. Said: Summary and Critique - Theory Article Summaries

CHAPTER ONE: Orientalism: The Making of the Other on JSTOR

Edward Said’s Orientalism and the Study of the Self and the Other in Orwell’s Burmese Days
S. R. Moosavinia, N. Niazi, Ahmad Ghaforian

Analysis of Edward Said‘s Orientalism by Nasrullah Mambrol