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Edward Said and the Question of Palestine

Pro-Palestinian student protestors wave a Palestinian flag as they gather on the front steps of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University in New York City on April 30, 2024.
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EMILY BYRSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Pro-Palestinian student protestors wave a Palestinian flag as they gather on the front steps of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University in New York City on April 30, 2024.

EMILY BYRSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Edward Said brought the question of Palestine into the American mainstream. He taught at Columbia University for nearly 40 years, and today, more than two decades after his death, pro-Palestine student protesters on that campus and others have invoked his name. Meanwhile, his interviews circulate on social media and his books are taught at universities around the world. On this episode: the story of the man who pushed for recognition of the Palestinian perspective, the pushback he faced, and the dangers he foresaw.

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Guests:

Mariam Said, Vice-President of the Barenboim-Said Foundation.

Timothy Brennan, professor of Culture Studies and Comparative Literature and English at the University of Minnesota, and author of the book Places of Mind: A Life of Edward Said.

Moustafa Bayoumi, professor of English and Comparative Literature at Brooklyn College, City University of New York and co-editor of The Edward Said Reader.

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