Edward Said: 'Out of Place' | Al Jazeera World Documentary

Twenty years after his death, an in-depth look at the life and career of the influential post-colonial writer and champion of the Palestinian cause in the West.
Born to affluent parents in Palestine under the British mandate in 1935, Edward W Said devoted his adult life to raising awareness of the Palestinian cause on the world stage. A literature professor at Columbia University and celebrated intellectual, "he was a scholar and an ordinary man's person," according to the Independent's Middle East correspondent, Robert Fisk.
A fatal diagnosis with leukaemia in 1991 prompted him to start working on Out of Place: A Memoir, a coming-of-age story of exile and a celebration of his irrecoverable past. In this masterpiece, Said rediscovers the lost Arab world of his early years in Palestine, as well as in Lebanon and Egypt.
Raised as a Protestant in a predominately Eastern Orthodox community in Jerusalem, he realised early in life that he had something of a split identity. His first name was British, his last name Arabic and he carried an American passport through his father's US army service in the first world war.
Describing her English faculty colleague's seminal work, Gauri Viswanathan says, "He saw being out of place as a psychological state of things … as a physical characterisation. He saw out of place as also a moving reflection on being out of place - the place being Palestine."
While living and working in pro-Israeli New York City, the 1967 Arab-Israeli War marked a defining point in his life. The war changed the map of the Middle East and has affected the path to Arab-Israeli peace until today because of the way it redrew borders, implemented Israel's territorial claims and confirmed its military dominance in the region.
"I was no longer the same person after 1967", wrote Said. "The shock of that war drove me back to where it had all started, the struggle over Palestine."
At Columbia University, Said's preoccupation with the Arab world began to show in his published work, as he produced one of the most significant books of the 20th century. Orientalism challenged western preconceptions about the 'other', arguing it saw it as exotic, backward, uncivilised and sometimes dangerous. The book effectively gave birth to the academic discipline of post-colonial studies.
Said became something of a superstar in some academic circles and began trying to change the stereotype of Palestine and the Palestinians among Americans - and was also elected to the Palestine National Council, the governing body of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO). But he predictably fell foul of the US pro-Israel lobby and a far-right Jewish magazine labelled him the 'professor of terror'.
Said was an accomplished musician and pianist and as his health failed in the late 1990s, he took a step away from politics and devoted the last years of his life to music, seeing it as a universal language. He wanted to break down barriers and find a common language between Israelis and Arabs - and so co-founded the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra with Argentine-Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim.
This disappointed some of his peers who were quick to point out that this meant what they saw as normalisation with a coloniser. "I reminded him that he taught us not to separate art and music from politics," says Lebanese writer Samah Idriss.
Columbia University Professor Hamid Dabashi captures the essence and impact of his friend and colleague: "With the death of Edward Said we immigrant intellectuals ceased to be immigrant and became native to a new organicity. We are the fulfilments of his battles. He theorised himself to be out of place so timely and so punctiliously, so that after him we are no longer out of place, at home where ever we can hang our hat and say no to power …
"We are all free-floating. Said was very site specific about Palestine - and thereby he made the Palestinian predicament a metaphysical allegory, and he grounded it in the physical agony and heroism of his people… The new intellectual organicity that Said enabled requires that you roll up your sleeves, get down and dirty, so that in the midst of chaos you can seek solace, of darkness, light, of despair, hope."
Filmmakers: Heba Bourini and Mohammad Jameel
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[@maisarah961]

I can’t watch this without tearing. Thank you, Al Jazeera for this glorious tribute to one of my favorite human beings to ever walk this earth. Alhamdulillah.

[@ibrahimabdelaziz1621]

Alhamdulillah

[@epic6434]

We're you laughing so hard your eye's watered? 😂 👈🏼🤨 like so 😅

[@barbaradobson9298]

At 74 as an educated American I feel so ignorant. I knew so little about the Palestinians cause. I had lock stepped walked along with complete sympathy for Israel never understanding the plight of Palestine. I don’t think I truly understand yet but I feel like from this video I have had a glimpse into a world I did not know. Now I have a hunger to understand and know more. Thank you.

[@dagmarueberfeld-lang4088]

one would be made of stone to not be moved by this documentary and Edward Said's profound contribution to the Palestinian cause. Thank you very much Al Jazeera.

[@epic6434]

Palestinians seem really humble I keep thinking about some of those Palestinian gals and holding them letting them cry on my of course I'd hide my valuables first but geez they're some beauty's

[@BestTube-wy8lw]

The best book I ever read in my life 'Orientalism'.❤

[@mernawells7839]

One of my heroes. RIP Edward Said. Your work is still helping and more than ever to help free your people.

[@anne-mariedib9885]

I’m just hearing & learning of Edward Said because of the current war. Next to read his books

[@al-emran4621]

Edward W Said is an unforgettable literary icon.

[@michellenorris8471]

I'm proud to say that Professor Edward W. Said has always been someone I admire & respect, my parents felt the same way.

[@1982violinist]

He was THE biggest intellectual influence of my life ... RIP

[@jo-annerichardson34]

Thank you so much for this doc about Edward Said's life. His book Orientalism was the main source in the Peace Studies course i took at university in the 90's focusing on 'the other'. I was saddened by his death but knowledge he so eloquently put out there is an invaluable source especially today with the horrific genocide we are all witnessing of a people under apartheid. His books need to be read, especially in the West and should be required reading for anyone who goes in to foreign policy positions with power to make decisions that affect those in these terrible situations, especially the Palestinians..

[@kausamsalam8543]

Heart-felt memoir, and one of the best, most authentic books that I’ve chanced to read. May Allah always bless him in Jannah and his family-true Christians and people of Faith and Honor for all people. ❤️🌴True humanist. True human.

[@camillapalmer82]

This man’s work really influenced me, my studies and ultimately how I see the world. Such an incredible mind. So grateful for his work.

[@soumiyamakhmara]

Dual identities create a unique writer and make him have two feelings in one body.

[@nouralabdul]

An ordinary man with an extraordinary mind. His work is timeless and a symbol of resistance against the occupation and tyranny. He was simply brave enough to speak what's obvious.. Amazing.

[@maisarah961]

Yes :’) He was a really special man. A gift to us all really. He surprises me all the time, even after having read him for so many years.. I still catch myself hyperventilating (oftentimes pausing to stare at a specific sentence or paragraph with my jaw slightly hung) in between pages. What a divine revelation he was to the displaced, oppressed, and marginalised! Inspiring and invigorating to say the least! :’)

[@rbz60]

an extraordinary man, you don't find the kinds like him anymore!

[@summervibes3244]

@@rbz60so true ❤

[@epic6434]

​@@maisarah961yeah I can probably agree with that but come on tell me what's with the jaw hung? The O'Day City looks like a pleasant place these day's from the youtube of course.

[@khadarbaadil3419]

Said's pen was very influential. I have read Orientalism and have written a short summary of it in Somali language.

[@jamess123]

that's how it should be. you learn something through a foreign language and you talk about it to your people in their language.

[@davidanderson9664]

Said was great, I admit. I did a degree in Middle East politics in Australia (many Somali immigrants now) and Wash. DC in the early 1990s and traveled extensively in the Arab world. Sadly not to Somalia.... yet. :-) Dear MMM - would you ever consider writing a short summary of Prof. Dawkin's book "The God Delusion"? I don't think there's one in Somali and our friends there could be helped by it a LOT I feel. Respectfully, D.A., J.D. NYC

[@suleimanali1635]

David Anderson that's some dark humour .

[@DMDM-dw3qc]

@Blue Star Your star is pretty dim

[@elhassanialahlou1155]

hi . can i speak with you .

[@75spinoza]

Excellent documentary... Edward Said was a remarkable person who transcended boundaries...

[@ayeshaarshed5906]

speechless.....very emotional ...I wept many times...Thanks Aljazeera and everyone who made this masterpiece...no words can describe Edward Said..A true Palestinian

[@IceNdice93]

I am just learning of this intellectual in light of the current events between Israel and Palestine. What an amazing man.

[@shohrehhejazi8308]

Wow what an incredible human being! God Bless his soul !❤😢

[@somalicancerawarenessprogr4991]

He may be dead, but his wishes will never die.

[@RizkyAdhrean]

First time my lecturer gave me an essay of Edward Said, I was immediately interested with Said words

[@dorandacolbert5973]

Professor Edward Said never actually lived in Palestine! He is from Cairo. His father, Wadi was Palestinian but had emigrated to Cairo in 1920. At least nine years prior to his son’s birth in 1935, Wadie Said was already residing permanently in Cairo, Egypt…according to the 1926 French edition of the Egyptian Directory….It was to Cairo that Edward Said’s mother Hilda (Musa), of Lebanese origin, moved upon marrying his father in 1932, and it was in Cairo that the nuclear family continued to reside over the ensuing decades.

[@lunarcalendar368]

I like the way Palestine is pronounced in Arabic.

[@graybow2255]

And this is how it's written فلسطين

[@silvinacarrizo2726]

Te he leído, te he estudiado, te he enseñado, aún sigo leyéndote, aún sigo estudiándote, aún sigo enseñándote y cómo duele todo y qué bello es este documental 🌿💫

[@josephcampbell4724]

35:42 , 46:01 tears is the only thing I can contribute to those feeling of Palestinian people. Orientalism .

[@brahimlh2909]

May i ask if this quote is from you or from somewhere else? Thank you

[@josephcampbell4724]

@@brahimlh2909 I was young when Bosnian war was going on My Dad and mom was watching those Footage in Drawing room when I reach their I saw Tears in my Dads eyes , I asked him what happen Abbu he couldn't answer me that day his only word was " one day u will know", time pass I also grow up in same Oriental study and diluted my morality, when I was searching meaning of life in western culture Emptiness was growing inside of me everyday , during my University time I start questioning injustice around me and attracted by Karl Marx writing with Che Guevara "Motorcycle Dairy" , but the more I know about Communism I was aware this is not the Answer , during this time I Found my inspiration of life Sheikh Hamza Yusuf. And my life start to change , as our Beloved prophet Muhammad(s) said "My Ummah is like a alive body , if any part of it is in pain rest of the Body will fell that pain " I saw Muslim in Kashmir,China,Myanmar,Afghanistan,Iraq,Shams,Libya,Somalia,Sudan and Palestine and their suffering, as Sheikh say if any one need to understand the real world around us he must Educate him self about Palestine , where East meet West, 1% vs 99%, automatic Raifel vs Stone , and he also said that he learn very early from Mauritania the thing u can't change the only option we have to pray to Allah with Tears and Educate others about that , those writing came all of my experience from my entire life . MAY ALLAH bless you . AsalamuAlaikum.

[@panneerselvameswaran9754]

One of the fantastic Documentary by Al Jazeera

[@annviolet4727]

Thank you Al Jazeera.

[@katamaridamashii]

notice how they even called him "professor of terror" sadly nothing has changed...

[@l23918]

I am saddened watching this, rip , you are no longer out of place.

[@paulokano5032]

Great look at his life. Thank you Al-Jazeera!

[@carolgaribay]

Great scholar.

[@jwh0122]

15:41 Six-Day War (1967) 26:49 Steve Biko 27:50 Reflections on Exile 29:58 Mahmoud Darwish 41:32 music 45:29 term terrorism in the US

[@moinfaizi1600]

while watching racist reporting of western media amid the Ukraine war, It reminded me of the works of Edward Said. Thank you Said, you would always be alive in our hearts.

[@jillybe1873]

Yes

[@zolinafoster1441]

Learned so much from Edward Said in more ways than one.

[@ashrafhasib1251]

One of the most intellectual person of east & west

[@walan31]

I felt heard and vindicated when i read Orientalism. He explained the othering of people either born , raise or viewed as Eastern be it asian, arab or African. It changed me and change how i view my own identity compared to the Western culture i grew up in

[@oldones59]

Thank you, Dr, Said. I've often been considered an "other." That's due to other people's perceptions. Bias and prejudice are an inside job 😊

[@annchendoherty9558]

Thanks for this wonderful retrospective on Edward Said, incredibly influential author who challenged the Western stereotypes about the Middle East which continue to be reflected in mainstream Western media. Fortunately, social media platforms are successfully challenging this dominant narrative. I’m sure he would have approved! 😊😊

[@mrpatchy9950]

A great man who took up the cause of the Palestinians as his life mission and never forgot his roots. This beautiful and poignant documentary could not have been aired at a better time. Thank you Aljazeera.

[@muslimsocialist9310]

His works have greatly influenced my political beliefs as a Muslim and a African American Marxist..

[@exploreradverturer8396]

....will live a Million Years.....Edward Said.

[@AliSher-hg8ko]

A great mind and indomitable crusader against Israeli expansionism & usurpation.

[@GriefUnfolded]

What a profound documentary. May his soul rest in power. May we all carry his legacy with honor.

[@MariaAya]

Thank you for sharing, great personality, searching for orientalism in arts and the political social part is the most important

[@TheViciousnessNow]

FREE PALESTINE! From the river to the sea

[@makedonistoi]

free israel from the sea to the river from 1400 years of colonialization of arabic hate

[@carmeniglesias1714]

He Was Correct about the OSLO ACCORD! Very Sad!

[@waelwm4331]

Amazing story

[@Emma6970]

A compelling narrative of his work and life.

[@JohnPaul-yx2ro]

I wish to talk on Al Jazeera platform about my country

[@ikigai174]

Wonderful documentary❤️

[@irfanhaider2076]

amazing.💙

[@khursheedkhan9437]

loved it

[@debanjalihota4382]

Truth and Real Truth can never be out of place and he represented that. So he is always a real strong man for the whole world to look up to.

[@kabirm.hossain9254]

Loved it from Bangladesh ❤❤❤❤❤

[@techch82]

if someone has audios of orientalism and his other books, plz share and upload to youtube

[@cabdirahamantimohindi74]

Came here coz of feeling like edward since I was born under anarchy for over 32 years, and still waiting to get strong nation. Edward was really real scholar .

[@johntravena119]

Once read an insightful review Said wrote of a biography on Glenn Gould. He seemed to be a keen fan of his playing. It would seem Said’s influence wasn’t limited to his deeper calling.

[@voraciousreader3341]

Yes, Edward Said was deeply connected to music of traditional Arabic and Western classical music. Do you know who Daniel Barenboim is?? I cannot possibly explain him, and must speak of his career in the past tense because he’s very ill and no longer creating music on stage, but he was one of the most influential conductors and pianists of the 20th century, an unbelievable prodigy in his youth, articulate in 8 languages, a Jew born in Argentina. Barenboim is also an intellectual, but he and Edward Said met because of music, and became very good friends through their discussions on the Israeli-Palestinian divide, which resulted in the famous West-Eastern Divan Orchestra for Israeli and Arab teenaged musicians. Barenboim’s ideas about Palestine have made him a pariah in many Israeli circles, but he’s never backed down on anything, as is true of Dr. Said.

[@johntravena119]

@@voraciousreader3341 I’m aware of Barenboim’s work with Israeli and Palestinian musicians but I didn’t know this had a connection to Said. Thank you!

[@eshaibraheem4218]

​@@voraciousreader3341 Yes, an inspiring and productive friendship.

[@Manas999_9]

💚

[@miriamjaimes8213]

Eduard Said unforgettable literary with extraordinary mind.

[@threedeafears]

does anyone know where i can find the article mentoned around minute 43? When Said gives up arguing with his student about why he started that music initiative between israelis and palestinians

[@simplegardeningresults7706]

SUBS DONE GREAT VLOG ---

[@cavendish009]

It is a shame he never met and talked to Musa Alami whose book on his life "Palestine is my Country" was written by Sir Geoffrey Furlonge. He came from a very prominent Palestinian family and went into politics. He set up the Arab Development Society in the West Bank with a school for Palestinian refugees who he rescued and gave schooling and a means of earning their living on the farm.

[@prettypurple7175]

WOW/////

[@awallner1]

The actor playing Said looks more like Harold Ramis from the 80s, not Said. Oh well.

[@fariedbadjeber-ds6zv]

💚💚

[@fatimazahraahmed521]

❤❤

[@azads.t8633]

From the late Yasin until today! We have been crying for many years over the massacre of Diriasin and Kafrqasem. 100 to 200 Palestinians were massacred in Diriyasin and 48 in Kafr Qasim. Compared to today's war, these numbers are not huge! Is humanity moving forward or backward in terms of cruelty and violence? Weapons are becoming more destructive day by day and human lives are losing more and more value. Is this the result of Nietzsche's famous statement about God? Or is the debate still about what kind of worship of God is, contrary to Nietzsche's view, life? Or that selfish people have hidden God in the basement of their minds and, by claiming God for themselves, are taking the human race to the slaughterhouse? Or does the story have nothing to do with God? Murder and brutality have always challenged optimism about the nature of humanity. A new type of pessimism is emerging with regard to human nature. In my opinion, pessimism towards human nature can make the world more tolerable, because it lowers the level of expectations towards it! Expecting mercy, compassion, fairness, justice and morality from him over all his fellow human beings apparently seems more like stupidity and how stupid God has made me!

[@michellenorris8471]

Yes, I think too many of us feel the same frustration! I will keep joining the marches calling for a ceasefire, I will continue to spread my knowledge online, I will continue to email my government representative to continue to urge for a ceasefire, whatever we can do.

[@Kwame-yw9kz]

"No cause, no God, no abstract idea can justify the mass slaughter of innocents." Edward Said

[@adamt360]

Palestinian American

[@user-st3im5ge7f]

The great mind can not change the fate of Palestinians.

[@ariellevy3074]

No loss....

[@muha5593]

No wonder zionist entity don't have any respect for PLO 😢😢.how can Abbas allowed that?

[@barakah4097]

His last weeks are symptomatic of his theories.

[@brahimlh2909]

what do you mean by that?

[@barakah4097]

BRAHIM LH his leftist fanclub started to distance themselves from him in his last days. They certainly recognized that his theories were bogus. The guy had western bias (living there most of his life). Post-colonial lunacies and whatnot

[@barakah4097]

@@nomegustaperonoquieredecir3514 hi

[@souadghazal2533]

@@barakah4097 stupid comment from a moron.....

[@michellenorris8471]

@@barakah4097 If I were your history teacher, you would get a 'fail' from me.

[@Goodkidjr43]

A simple question from a simple person. Why did Mr. Said NOT return TO Palestine?? He was free to do so and could have started a University there and helped his people and vanquished the "alienation" that he felt all his life. As an aside: I have his book, "Orientalism" and have read parts of it.

[@AJost-sb8ux]

Is this a feud of pseuds?

[@Goodkidjr43]

@@AJost-sb8ux asserting "pseuds" implies there are "non pseuds". Basic logic. You should try it sometime......

[@waelwm4331]

So that he'd be assassinated by Israel ??

[@waelwm4331]

A simple statement from a simple man , go read some history .

[@brahimlh2909]

I recall Said saying that while he was in Palestine, he couldn't do in it as much as he could from the United States.

[@tauriqabdullah6130]

Arafat sold out that's why he signed the Oslo accord.