Edward Said
Edward Said, internationally renowned Columbia University professor, practically invented the field of post-colonial studies. His great work, "Orientalism" has been translated into many languages and is widely used in colleges and universities. The "New York Times" called him, "one of the most influential literary and cultural critics in the world." As one of the few advocates for Palestinian rights in the US, he was the target of vilification, death threats and vandalism. The "Economist" said he "repudiated terrorism in all its forms and was a passionate, eloquent and persistent advocate for justice for the dispossessed Palestinians." He was a trenchant critic not just of Israeli policies, but also of Arafat, the corrupt coterie around him and the despotic Arab regimes. He felt strongly that intellectuals had a special responsibility to speak out against injustice, challenge power, confront hegemonic thinking and provide alternatives. His memoir "Out of Place" won the New Yorker Book of the Year Award. Edward Said died in New York on September 25, 2003.