{"id":358920,"date":"2023-10-10T22:57:31","date_gmt":"2023-10-11T01:57:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/mariam-said-keeps-edward-saids-legacy-alive\/"},"modified":"2024-03-22T17:02:36","modified_gmt":"2024-03-22T20:02:36","slug":"mariam-said-keeps-edward-saids-legacy-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/mariam-said-keeps-edward-saids-legacy-alive\/","title":{"rendered":"Mariam Sa\u00efd keeps Edward Sa\u00efd\u2019s legacy alive"},"content":{"rendered":"

S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 Mariam Sa\u00efd, activist, writer, and widow of Palestinian scholar Edward Sa\u00efd, is in S\u00e3o Paulo and spoke this Tuesday (10) at the seminar The Intellectual Legacy of Edward Sa\u00efd<\/strong>, which runs until this Wednesday (11) at the Raul Cortez theater, at SESC 14 Bis. Sa\u00efd gave an overview of her husband\u2019s life and work, talking about Edward Sa\u00efd\u2019s work as a professor, published papers and books, new books and projects to come, his love for music, and the question of Palestine. She has been contributing to keeping her husband\u2019s legacy alive since his death in 2003.<\/p>\n

Born in Beirut, Lebanon, where she lived until her youth, Mariam Sa\u00efd met Edward Sa\u00efd in New York, United States, in the late 1960s. At the time, he was one of Columbia University\u2019s most promising professors and gained tenure at the university at age 34.<\/p>\n

\u201cEdward\u2019s star began to shine when he wrote an essay in 1970, The Arab Portrayed<\/em>, originally published in a special edition of the US Journal \u2013 The Arab World,\u201d said Mariam Sa\u00efd at the seminar.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Sa\u00efd (L) and Smaili (R)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the essay, Edward Sa\u00efd discusses representation. Mariam Sa\u00efd quoted an excerpt from it. \u201cHow the Arab is often represented or, more correctly, misrepresented.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis essay was written after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Fifty-six years later, a similar situation is happening today, right now. It is very unsettling,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She said that when they met, Edward Sa\u00efd was already \u201can author, a prolific writer, and an excellent professor who had his work recognized by his peers and superiors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Timothy Brennan, Edward Sa\u00efd\u2019s biographer<\/strong>, worked to organize the author\u2019s work before Orientalism in the book Places of Mind: A Life of Edward Sa\u00efd<\/em>, published in 2021.<\/p>\n

In 1975, Sa\u00efd wrote his first critical thinking book, Beginnings: Intention and Method<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few years later, Orientalism<\/em><\/strong>, the work that shook the literary world<\/strong>, was published [in 1978],\u201d said Mariam Sa\u00efd. Orientalism<\/em> opened doors for debates and discussion platforms throughout the academic world and is, to this day, his best-known work. The book has already been translated into 36 languages.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince then, his career took off, and he continued writing books and accruing awards. All this while he taught full-time at Columbia. He couldn\u2019t stop. Maybe he knew his time here wouldn\u2019t be long,\u201d said the activist.<\/p>\n

The year 2003 marked 25 years of Orientalism<\/em>, and a special edition<\/strong> was released with a new preface written by the author. \u201cEdward Sa\u00efd worked to break down barriers; he was a humanist<\/strong>, and he was not afraid,\u201d said Mariam Sa\u00efd.<\/p>\n

He received honorary degrees from universities around the world, and in 2003, lymphoma took his life so quickly that Mariam Sa\u00efd said she couldn\u2019t say goodbye.<\/p>\n

In the last decade of his life, he wrote Culture and Imperialism<\/em> (1993), Out of Place: a Memoir<\/em> (1999), and The End of the Peace Process: Oslo and After<\/em> (2000), among other works, and gave interviews and wrote papers.<\/p>\n

Mariam Sa\u00efd said an archive containing Edward Sa\u00efd\u2019s collection is at Columbia University and one of the future projects is to digitize all of his work<\/strong> and make it available online to researchers worldwide. There is also a fellowship named after him at Columbia.<\/p>\n

Sa\u00efd\u2019s wife said he always loved music and played the piano<\/strong>, like his mother. According to Mariam Sa\u00efd, music is mentioned in his books. Today, she runs renowned music schools bearing his name and the Barenboim-Sa\u00efd Foundation, with branches in several countries, such as the United States, Germany, and Spain, as well as a music conservatory in Palestine, with units in Ramallah, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Gaza.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the fight is going on today, we hope the music institutions resist and that they have a future. I pray for that,\u201d she said. Edward Sa\u00efd lived his life cherishing high-quality education and believed in the essence of discipline, perseverance, and focus, according to Mariam Sa\u00efd. \u201cHe said \u2018the impossible is easier to achieve than the difficult<\/strong>,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Soon, a book with Sa\u00efd\u2019s work in music will be published. Another publication will be a book of poems written in his youth.<\/p>\n

Mariam Sa\u00efd came to Brazil in 2014 when the C\u00e1tedra Edward Sa\u00efd was founded at the Federal University of S\u00e3o Paulo (Unifesp).<\/p>\n

Regarding the Question of Palestine<\/strong>, Mariam Sa\u00efd said in the 1970s, Edward Sa\u00efd discussed a two-state solution; however, he made other visits to Palestine over the years and, in 1999, published an article in the New York Times Magazine defending the one-state solution. \u201c[He supported] the solution of a single state that recognizes the rights of all its citizens, equal rights, that is equitable, fair, and promotes social justice. This position originates from several reasons. That\u2019s why the end of his work is so powerful because he talks about how difficult a two-state solution is, but that you cannot eliminate an entire history, culture, and people,\u201d she declared.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Ambassador Chohfi spoke at the event\u2019s opening<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Soraya Smaili, former dean of Unifesp and founder of Brazil\u2019s Arab Culture Institute (ICArabe), moderated Mariam Sa\u00efd\u2019s lecture. She recalled \u201chow much we need his work, not only in the political situation but in life. How much his work brings important parallels to the dimensions of human life,\u201d Smaili said. She spoke about Sa\u00efd\u2019s vast work in different areas, including music.<\/p>\n

\u201cSa\u00efd was an intellectual, a scholar who presented solutions based on his work and made available the promotion of equality and social justice,\u201d said Smaili. According to her, SESC-SP will record the entire event and intends, based on the material, to create a new book in partnership with ICArabe<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

At the event\u2019s opening, also spoke Olg\u00e1ria Matos, coordinator of Unifesp\u2019s C\u00e1tedra Edward Sa\u00efd; Lia Rita, vice dean of Unifesp; Francisco Miraglia, from the School of Mathematics and Statistics of the University of S\u00e3o Paulo (USP); Murched Taha, president of ICArabe; ambassador Osmar Chohfi, president of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC); and Jo\u00e3o Paulo Leite Guadanucci, representing the S\u00e3o Paulo Social Service for Commerce (SESC-SP).<\/p>\n

Chohfi quoted a 1999 speech by Sa\u00efd about the conception of the East-West Encounter project with Daniel Barenboim at the opening. \u201cIn our work, planning, and discussions, our paramount principle is that separation between people is not a solution to the problems that divide people. Cooperation and coexistence<\/strong> can be done through music, the way we have done and lived. I am optimistic despite the dark skies and the apparent lack of hope at the current moment that concerns us all,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The ambassador also paraphrased Mariam Sa\u00efd, with her consent, retrieving a 2005 speech. \u201cKeeping his memory is keeping Edward Sa\u00efd alive<\/strong>,\u201d he quoted.<\/p>\n

Check out the schedule<\/a> for the seminar\u2019s day two, this Wednesday (11), which will feature a panel with writer Milton Hatoum<\/strong> and professor Dr. Salem Nasser<\/strong>, with the theme \u201cEdward Sa\u00efd and the Tragic: Palestine, denial and the Impossible Journey.\u201d The event will be closed by Sa\u00efd\u2019s daughter, actress, playwright, and activist Najla Sa\u00efd<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Translated by El\u00fasio Brasileiro<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mariam Sa\u00efd is in S\u00e3o Paulo and spoke about Edward Sa\u00efd\u2019s work as a professor, published papers and books, his love for music, and the question of Palestine. She has been contributing to keeping Sa\u00efd\u2019s legacy alive since his death in 2003.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2305,"featured_media":356756,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[89],"tags":[16903,16901,31497,27517,45955,29462,45965,29473,34027,29300,537,20858,20843,45956,45957,15357,45969,2444],"class_list":{"0":"post-358920","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-culture","8":"tag-catedra-edward-said","9":"tag-edward-said","10":"tag-gaza-en-2","11":"tag-icarabe-en-2","12":"tag-mariam-said","13":"tag-najla-said","14":"tag-one-state-solution","15":"tag-orientalism","16":"tag-orientalismo-en","17":"tag-palestina-en-2","18":"tag-palestine","19":"tag-palestinian-question","20":"tag-questao-palestina","21":"tag-solucao-do-estado-unico","22":"tag-solucao-dois-estados","23":"tag-soraya-smaili","24":"tag-two-state-solution","25":"tag-unifesp"},"wps_subtitle":"Mariam Sa\u00efd is in S\u00e3o Paulo and spoke about Edward Sa\u00efd\u2019s work as a professor, published papers and books, his love for music, and the question of Palestine. She has been contributing to keeping Sa\u00efd\u2019s legacy alive since his death in 2003.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2305"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=358920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358920\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/356756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=358920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=358920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=358920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}