The late Edward Said is still one of the most influential figures in the postmodernist intellectual pantheon, and his students and followers dominate the study not only of the Muslim world, his ideas have influenced all cross cultural studies undertaken in the West.In my mind, he is one of the most pernicious influences on the academy. Michael Weiss, writing in the New York Sun, takes on Said, and provides a thought-provoking essay reviewing the work of Ibn Warraq, specifically "Defending the West: A Critique of Edward Said's Orientalism."Excerpt:Not only did the British and French colonize and expropriate the East, according to Said, their imperial prejudice clouded their understanding of those they conquered. More than that, they "invented" an entire sham epistemology, Said and his followers contend, with which every Western observer has since approached the East and used to his advantage in further colonizing and expropriating it. Said's legacy, however,...(Read Full Post)