It is commonly observed that the intellectuals are increasingly withdrawing themselves from the world and retiring into the insular cells of academic exercise. But Edward Said feels that as intellectuals are the best brains of society, they should have a genuine interest in the order of things in society and the world. This article examines Said's arguments and stakes about the role and responsibility of the intellectual.
The present paper seeks to engage with certain crucial aspects of the Saidian formulations of and about the intellectuals. As an Arab Palestinian working as a professor of literature in an elite American institution, Said was fighting injustice and discrimination at all levels all through. This struggle against his overarching surroundings of power and politics also gets reflected in his deliberations on the role of the intellectuals in an increasingly globalized and conformist world.
Table of Contents
1. Edward Said and the Responsibility of the Intellectual
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines Edward Said’s theoretical framework regarding the role and ethical imperatives of the intellectual in contemporary society. It explores Said's call for an "oppositional" intellectual who remains committed to social justice, challenges dominant power structures, and resists the trend of narrow professional specialization.
- The definition and public role of the intellectual
- Critique of power and the concept of "Speaking the Truth to Power"
- Comparative analysis of the intellectual models of Antonio Gramsci and Julien Benda
- The relationship between academic identity and political commitment
- Resistance against Eurocentric norms and the compartmentalization of knowledge
Excerpt from the Book
Representations of the Intellectual
The central fact for me is, I think, that the intellectual is an individual endowed with a faculty for representing, embodying, articulating a message, a view, an attitude, philosophy or opinion to, as well as for, a public. And this role has an edge to it, and cannot be played without a sense of being someone whose place it is publicly to raise embarrassing questions, to confront orthodoxy and dogma (rather than produce them), to be someone who cannot easily be co-opted by governments or corporations, and whose raison d’être is to represent all those people and issues that are routinely forgotten or swept under the rag. (9, emphasis added)
Summary of Chapters
1. Edward Said and the Responsibility of the Intellectual: This chapter introduces Said’s critique of the contemporary intellectual's retreat into specialized, de-contextualized academic work and argues for an ethical, engaged, and oppositional stance against oppressive power structures.
Keywords
Edward Said, Intellectual, Representations of the Intellectual, Speaking the Truth to Power, Antonio Gramsci, Julien Benda, Secular Criticism, Oppositional Humanism, Professionalization, Power Discourse, Ethics, Social Commitment, Palestine, Eurocentrism, Knowledge Industry
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this publication?
The paper focuses on Edward Said's conceptualization of the intellectual's responsibility to remain socially and politically engaged rather than retreating into academic specialization.
What are the central themes discussed in the text?
Key themes include the critique of power, the necessity of speaking truth to authority, the tension between traditional and organic intellectuals, and the importance of an oppositional humanist outlook.
What is the primary research aim of the work?
The aim is to analyze how Said's writings, particularly "Representations of the Intellectual," define the intellectual's role in challenging authoritarianism and defending the rights of the underprivileged.
Which theoretical perspectives are utilized?
The author contrasts the intellectual models of Antonio Gramsci and Julien Benda to highlight Said’s preference for an intellectual who is deeply connected to reality rather than one who is detached and semi-divine.
What does the main body of the paper cover?
The main body examines Said's resistance to poststructuralist ambivalence, his critique of the knowledge industry, and his argument that academic identity should be complemented by political commitment.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as secular criticism, oppositional humanism, intellectual responsibility, and the critique of power structures.
How does Said distinguish between "clerks" and "organic intellectuals"?
Following Benda and Gramsci, Said distinguishes between the "clerk," who is often detached from material life, and the "organic intellectual," who is directly connected to social classes and political interests.
Why does the author mention the "Question of Palestine" in relation to Said?
It is used as a case study to demonstrate how Said’s personal political commitments inform his academic work, proving that scholarly and political identities can be complementary rather than oppositional.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Dr. Jaydeep Chakrabarty (Autor:in), 2015, Edward Said about the Responsibilty of the Intellectual, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/298445
