The work of Edward W. Said, one of the key theorists and cultural critics of the twentieth century, has been continually misunderstood and misappropriated by fellow critics and general readers from a range of ideological and political standpoints. This engaging new book, by an eminent postcolonial theorist, maps out Said's critical and theoretical world on the basis of the key terms and concepts that Said wielded so eloquently and persuasively as he sought to align his work as a critic with the heterogeneous realities of an ever-changing world.

Original and creative, Said brought his perspective to bear on the existing critical idiom and transformed it in ways that were of interest both to specialists in the field and readers at large. He was able to successfully combine the complex erudition of the expert professional and the transparent accountability of a public intellectual committed to a democratic public both national and international. Analyzing the ways in which his work interacted honestly and fearlessly with the distinguished contributions of his contemporary theorists, this interpretive dictionary delineates the uniqueness of Said's presence in the landscape of literary and cultural studies, and seeks to do justice to the full scope of his project and his inimitable legacy.