Edward Said and education

A luminary of the twentieth century, Edward Said (1935–2003) is most famous for his groundbreaking book Orientalism, which launched the field of postcolonial studies. He is a role model for the engaged intellectual, having combined his work in research and teaching in the field of English and comparative literature at Columbia University with political participation in the pursuit of justice, particularly for the Palestinian cause. This chapter highlights Said’s key contributions relevant to the field of education: his construct of Orientalism and the linkage between culture and imperialism; his critique of nationalistic education and investigation into the manufacturing of “the other”; and his concepts of traveling theory, worldliness, and secular criticism. It also synthesizes his views on the role of the university and content of its education, the teaching of critical consciousness, and the place of literature in the school curriculum. Special attention is devoted to Said’s work on what it means to be an intellectual and the relevance of that scholarship to teachers, academics, and other educators.