The Palestinian Edward Said spent his childhood in Jeruzalem and Cairo. He received his scientific training in America and taught as a professor at Columbia University in New York. A central theme in Said’s thinking is the influence of colonialism on western thought regarding the Orient.
Said has built an extensive oeuvre with works on music, social sciences, and politics. He gained name with his actions as a politician and advisor in the Palestinian-Israeli issue.
He published, a.o. in The Guardian, Le Monde Diplomatique, and in Al Hayat, the daily in the Arab world. Orientalism is considered to be Saids most significant book.
“Where Spinoza stands on the threshold of modern times, Said has already taken leave of the ethnocentric restrictions/limitations of modernism” (quote from the jury report)
