Edward Said
All topics-
Father of post-colonial studies
Edward Said – exiled between cultures
When people think of Edward Said, the first thing that generally comes to mind is his criticism of Orientalism. As a result, the theme of exile – which played no less significant a role in Said's writing and life – is often overlooked. By Tarek Azizeh
-
Book review: Susannah Heschel on "Jewish Islam"
Jewish Orientalism?
In her book Susannah Heschel investigates the role of Islam in the emergence of a Jewish identity and seeks to pay tribute to the academic legacy of Jewish-German scholars of Islam of the 19th and 20th centuries. But the romantic narrative of a somewhat different kind of Orientalism has its pitfalls. By Ozan Keskinkilic
-
Inauguration of the Pierre Boulez Hall in Berlin
"Music for the Thinking Ear"
The Pierre Boulez Hall of the new Barenboim-Said Akademie celebrated its grand opening in early March in the centre of Berlin. Sonja Hegasy attended the opening concert
-
Non-fiction: Mohamed Amjahid′s "Unter Weißen"
"Racism, like a plastic bottle in the sea…"
In his book, "Unter Weißen" (Among Whites) just published in Germany, journalist Mohamed Amjahid examines the stereotype of the "lust-driven, primitive and dangerous 'Oriental'". He holds up a mirror to the white majority in society, exposing the racist nature of myths of "otherness" and showing what it means to live among whites as a non-white person. By Ozan Keskinkilic
-
The German board game 'Istanbul'
Good clean Oriental fun?
Just a game? Think again! If the world is to survive, we all need to move closer together. Yet how can a society that ridicules others and reduces them to the level of pawns in a game expect to make any kind of constructive contribution? By Stefan Buchen
-
German artist Michael Buthe
″My inner Marrakesh″
Arabian prince, magician, master of ceremonies and traveller between worlds: Michael Buthe (1944–1994) was one of the most vivid personalities of the German art scene, dividing his time between Cologne and Marrakesh during the 1970s. A portrait by Natalie Goltenboth
-
Amjad Nasser on the role of Arab writers in Arab society
Speaking out in societies without words
In the last four years, Arab public intellectuals have come in for much close scrutiny and criticism. Some people complain that Arab thinkers and writers have disappeared from political life, while others argue that most of them are too much in the public eye, having allied themselves with one dictator or another. Marcia Lynx Qualey spoke to Jordanian poet and journalist Amjad Nasser about the role of Arab writers in contemporary Arab society
-
Interview with Daniel Barenboim
"The world is suffering from a lack of leadership"
In conversation with Maria Santacecilia, the star conductor and co-founder of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim, analyses the consequences of the aggravated Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its effects on his orchestra, which celebrates its fifteenth anniversary this year
-
Recreating Palestine in Literature
A Nation Crafted From Words
"We have a country made of words", reads a famous poem by the Palestinian writer Mahmud Darwish. In his essay, the well-known Jordanian journalist and literary scholar Fakhri Saleh explores the effect that the loss of homeland has had on Palestinian literature and self-perception
-
Essay by Adania Shibli
Recalling Edward Said's Thought Today
The influential theorist and public intellectual Edward W. Said produced a body of work that, right up to the present, resonates worldwide in a variety of fields. Ten years after his death, Adania Shibli takes a look at his legacy, and what it means to us today
-
Edward W. Said: ''Music at the Limits''
Undifferentiated Blanket Judgements and Insults
Overbearing, partial, brash: Said's book Music at the Limits compiles the great Arab intellectual's music criticism. A review by Jens Rosteck
-
Barenboim Conducts Mozart in Gaza
Mozart Sounds Like an Arab Love Song
This audacious project has foundered more than once and even this time its success hung by a thread. Daniel Barenboim performed a concert in Gaza with a group of European musicians. Hans-Christian Rößler reports