RIP, Edward Said
Via the New York Times comes news of the death of Edward Said, who had been fighting leukemia for several years.
The obituary interestingly reflects our current cultural obsessions, I think; “Leading Advocate of Palestinians” makes the headline, while Orientalism doesn’t appear until paragraph 21.
His loss will be felt deeply, both within the academy and in the political realm.
25 September 2003, 11.43 am
This is indeed a huge loss, in the academic and political worlds (not that they are separate at all). The obituary did seem oriented toward the political. If I remember correctly, even his music criticism was mentioned before Orientalism, one of the most important books I’ve ever read.
25 September 2003, 11.54 am
Also covered in the Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3191552,00.html
And Sify
http://sify.com/news/international/fullstory.php?id=13262607