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PROFILE: EDWARD SAID REMEMBERED AS A GREAT INTELLECT
Morning Edition: October 1, 2003
Commentary: Remembering Edward Said
BOB EDWARDS, host:
Edward Said, a Columbia University professor and literary critic, died last week at the age of 67. Shibley Telhami, the Anwar Sadat Professor of Peace and Development at the University of Maryland, remembers Said as an eloquent advocate of the Palestinian cause.
Professor SHIBLEY TELHAMI (University of Maryland): The passing of Edward Said last week left a vacuum that will be hard to fill, for he represented a disappearing breed of intellectuals that crossed fields, that influenced public debates at home and abroad. Said was a philosopher, a literary critic, a theorist of society on politics, an influential commentator, a musician and music critic. All that is hard to match. But what will be missed is his powerful role in challenging the very assumptions underpinning our discourse on critical issues of the day.
This is perhaps his most lasting contribution, coming out of such works as "Orientalism" and "Cultural Imperialism." Said argued that the work and conclusions of many scholars are inextricably linked to unchallenged world views that are often based more on the distribution of power in society than on intellectual reasoning. It is these assumptions that must always be the focal points of intellectual examination.
On this point, Said will be sorely missed. As the scope of our discourse has narrowed, as we rarely ask the big questions about our society's assumptions, about the terms of reference in our national debates, we discuss critical issues like terrorism and security without seriously challenging the presuppositions that our politicians and media adopt. Said was not afraid to challenge, to risk being wrong, alone.
Upon his death, Said was often described as a prominent Palestinian advocate, as if this was his central attribute. Even without the issue of Palestine, Edward Said would be remembered as an important thinker of our time. Said's support for the Palestinians was in part personal, but it was especially powerful because it fit into a consistent world view that resonated with many across the globe. He championed the plight and the right to resist occupation, but he didn't hesitate to recognize suicide attacks against civilians as terror. He supported Arafat when he believed he represented the Palestinians, but later became his vocal opponent. He was a harsh critic of Israeli policies, but that didn't stop him from writing in the Arab press of the failure of many in the Middle East to come to grips with the Holocaust and with the enormity of the tragedy of the Jewish people. Whether one agreed or disagreed with them, his were consistent positions that didn't shift with the whims of the day.
Like all great thinkers, Said, too, had his weaknesses. He was often bitter, sometimes less tolerant of differing views, occasionally ventured into areas about which he knew less. But even in his weakest moments, his passionate belief in his ideas, the power of his intellect, his eloquence, could not be ignored.
A few weeks before his passing, a visibly fragile Said approached Secretary of State Colin Powell at a reception I attended and said, `Don't forget justice, Mr. Secretary.' That was Edward Said.
EDWARDS: Shibley Telhami is the Anwar Sadat Professor of Peace and Development at the University of Maryland.
The time is 29 minutes past the hour.
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