(1935-2003) A Palestinian intellectual figure in the Palestinian Diaspora/refugee community. Said was a prominent literary critic and professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University in New York. A prolific author, he is known for his anti-colonialist and anti-Orientalist writings. He also commonly opposed Israeli human rights abuses against Palestinians, the Oslo Process and the governance of Palestinian Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat; as such, he became a leading figure in the local and international debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. See Ruthven, Malise. “Obituary: Edward Said.” 26 September 2003. The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2003/sep/26/guardianobituaries.highereduc...  http://www.justvision.org/glossary/said-edward