Imperial Perspectives

On September 25, 2003, Edward Said died after being ill with leukaemia for over ten years. Right up until the end, Said, whose book »Orientalism« (1978) is considered a fundamental basis for post-colonial studies, never tired of criticising, in the strongest possible terms, the arrogant presumptions and consequences of imperial power. Among other things, he wrote regular articles for the Egyptian weekly newspaper »Al-Ahram«, in which the following essay appeared in July 2003. In this article, Said is once more concerned with the long legacy of colonialism – with »imperial perspectives« that give rise to distortions in the societies of the Middle East: distortions that prolong suffering and provoke extreme forms of resistance.

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/648/op2.htm