# Edward Said

Edward Said was a Palestinian-American literary critic and intellectual whose Orientalism (1978) founded postcolonial studies by demonstrating how Western scholarship, literature, and art constructed a distorted, exotic, and inferior "Orient" that served to justify European imperial domination. A professor at Columbia University for decades, he was also a powerful advocate for Palestinian rights and a distinguished music critic and pianist. Culture and Imperialism (1993) extended his analysis to the complicity of canonical Western literature in colonial projects.

## Quick Facts

- **Born:** November 1, 1935
- **Birthplace:** Jerusalem, Palestine
- **Nationality:** Palestinian-American
- **Occupation:** Literary Criticism / Postcolonial Theory
- **Category:** Scholars & Educators
- **Also Known As:** Father of Postcolonial Studies

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Source: https://peoplebio.info/p/edward-said