Naming the Unnameable: Another Look at Edward Said’s Orientalism

In the 40-plus years since Edward Said’s book Orientalism was published, many outlets and authors have reflected on Said’s legacy. One of the most recent is an authorized 2021 biography by his student and friend Timothy Brennan called Places of Mind. Although he died in 2003, Said’s thought still lives in the minds of leftists around the world. It would not be an exaggeration to state that Orientalism was one of the most influential works of the last half century. Not only did it help give shape to a variety of academic subdisciplines and genres of analysis, but it spread beyond the confines of university lecture halls and graduate student seminars to leave a permanent imprint on public discourses of racism and imperialism.

Read the full article in the Spring 2022 issue of Democratic Left.