On the Production of Expert Knowledge: Revisiting Edward Said's work on the intellectual

Abstract

Edward Said is deservedly well known for his literary insights on Orientalism. Yet, his work on the nature of the intellectual is equally important and particularly critical for navigating this moment of political, cultural, and economic retrenchment. In this essay I will explore the contours of Said's work on the intellectual. I argue that Said gave us a model of intellectual activity at a moment when we have to manage multiple professional and political obligations and responsibilities, all of which are ever-intensifying. I draw out particular implications for understanding the changing role of schools of education in the USA today.