By the time of his death in 2003, Edward Said was one of the most famous
literary critics of the twentieth century. Said's work has been hugely
influential far beyond academia. As a prominent advocate for the
Palestinian cause and noted cultural critic, Said redefined the role of
the public intellectual. This volume explores the problems and
opportunities afforded by Said's work: its productive and generative
capacities as well as its in-built limitations. After Said captures the
essence of Said's intellectual and political contribution and his
extensive impact on postcolonial studies. It examines his legacy by
critically elaborating his core concepts and arguments. Among the issues
it tackles are humanism, Orientalism, culture and imperialism, exile and
the contrapuntal, realism and postcolonial modernism, world literature,
Islamophobia, and capitalism and the political economy of empire. It is
an excellent resource for students, graduates and instructors studying
postcolonial literary theory and the works of Said.