Edward Said Papers, 1940s-2006

Summary Information

Abstract

Edward W. Said was an academic, literary critic, musician, and political activist for the Palestinian cause in the United States. The collection includes appointment books, audiovisual materials, clippings, correspondence, course materials, drafts, journals, notes, research materials, reviews, printed materials and publications.

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into six series and several subseries.

• Series I: Correspondence, 1965-2003, undated
• Subseries I.1: General Correspondence, 1965-2003
• Subseries I.2: Lectures--Logistics, 1976-2003
• Series II: Writings, 1963-2006, undated
• Subseries II.1: Book Manuscripts and Drafts, 1963-2006
• Subseries II.2: Articles, 1967-2003
• Subseries II.3: Lectures, 1969-2002
• Subseries II.4: Drafts, 1964-2003
• Subseries II. 5: Writings about Edward W. Said, 1970s-2004
• Series III: Academics, 1949-2003
• Subseries III.1: Course Notes and Materials, 1954-2003
• Subseries III.2: Administration, 1968-2004
• Subseries III.3: Research, 1949-2000
• Series IV: Personal and Professional Files, 1957-2003
• Subseries IV.1 Personal and Biographical Files, 1957-2003
• Subseries IV.2 Public Appearances, Events, and Organizations, 1968-2001, undated
• Series V: Subject Files, 1950s-2004
• Subseries V.1: Subject Files, 1959-2003, undated
• Subseries V.2 Research and Printed Materials, 1950s-2004
• Series VI: Audiovisual Materials, 1990s, undated
• Series VII: Books

Description

Description

Edward W. Said was an academic, literary critic, musician, and political activist for the Palestinian cause in the United States. The collection includes appointment books, audiovisual materials, clippings, correspondence, course materials, drafts, journals, notes, research materials, reviews, printed materials and publications.

A large portion of the papers consists of correspondence, primarily filed in Series I: Correspondence. The correspondence includes alphabetical and chronological correspondence files, as well as a card file index created by Said. The correspondents include Said's professional colleagues, political activists, and members of the public and the news media.

The papers also include clippings, manuscripts, and drafts of Said's writings, which included articles, books and book chapters, lectures, op-eds, program notes, reviews, and other works. The files also include related correspondence, reviews, and responses from readers.

Series III: Academics contains administrative materials, course materials, notes, and research materials. This material primarily relates to Said's appointment at Columbia University, although he also held visiting appointments elsewhere. There is some overlap between Series III and Series V, due in part to the number of processors that worked on the collection over time, and the large component of general research material contained in the papers. Series V contains general subject and research files. These primarily related to Said's work as an activist, and there is also a substantial amount of research material related to the Middle East filed in this series.

Series IV: Personal and Professional Files contains business cards, rolodexes, biographical notes, and other personal materials, as well as files related to public appearances, events, and organizations. There is some overlap with Series III, which includes some materials related to academic conferences.

Series VI contains audiovisual materials, which consists primarily of video of appearances, conferences, and interviews featuring Said.

• Series I: Correspondence, 1965-2003, undated

  This series contains Said's professional correspondence from dating 1966 until his death in September 2003. These letters pertain to Said's relationships and activities within the professional world of English and Comparative Literature; his friendships with a wide range of scholars, activists, writers, and public figures; his advocacy on behalf of the Palestinian cause and role as an observer of the Middle East peace process; and his extensive activity as a public intellectual delivering lectures and writing on behalf of publications around the world. The correspondents include Said's professional colleagues, political activists, and members of the public and the news media. The first four boxes contain a card file index created by Said.

  The correspondence in this series reflects Said's original arrangement by month and year, in most cases, and into specifically named files in other cases. Two boxes containing more correspondence from the 1960s through 2000 were labeled by Said as "Unorganized." Eight folders with additional correspondence from 1975-1977 were kept separately by Said and are not part of the card file index. They were labeled "Additional Unorganized' during processing.

  Other correspondence, related to arrangements for lectures and seminars, constitutes a separate subseries, Subseries I.2: Lectures—Logistics, reflecting Said's original arrangement of his papers. These files sometimes contain drafts or final versions of the lecture, some of which can also be found in the Writings series.

• Series II: Writings, 1963-2006, undated

  This series contains writings by and about Edward W. Said. It includes book manuscripts, articles, and lectures as well research notes and editorial correspondence. The material is arranged alphabetically.

• Series III: Academics, 1949-2003

  This series contains materials relating to Edward W. Said's academic life, with much of the series pertaining to his professorship in the Comparative Literature Department of Columbia University. It contains lecture notes and syllabi, administrative correspondence, research notes and articles, and appointment books.

  There is some overlap between Series III, Series IV, and Series V, due in part to the number of processors that worked on the collection over time, and the large component of general research material contained in the papers.

• Series IV: Personal and Professional Files, 1957-2003

• Series V: Subject Files, 1950s-2004

  This series contains subject and research files; many of these materials relate to Said's work as an activist. There is a substantial amount of research material related to the Middle East, as well as material related to Said's interests in music.

  There is some overlap between Series III, Series IV, and Series V, due in part to the number of processors that worked on the collection over time, and the large component of general research material contained in the papers.

• Series VI: Audiovisual Materials, 1990s, undated

  This subseries contains audiocassettes, audio reels, and videotapes. These are primarily of appearances, conferences, and interviews featuring Said.

• Series VII: Books

Using the Collection

Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

Most records have no restrictions. Files including sensitive material, such as student grades, have restrictions as noted in the finding aid.

If you would like to use audiovisual materials in Series VI, please contact the library in advance of your visit to discuss access options.

The following boxes are located off-site: 183-187. You will need to request this material from the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Edward W. Said Papers; Box and Folder (if known); Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Accruals

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

2004-2005-M58: Source of acquisition--Mariam Said. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--11/30/2004.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Sponsor Information

The processing of this collection was made possible, in part, by a grant from Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Processing Information

Papers processed by Casiana Ionita (Columbia University, GSAS 2013), Simon Taylor (Columbia University, GSAS 2014), Asheesh Siddique (Columbia University, GSAS 2017), Kristy Riggs (Columbia University, GSAS 2012), Darragh Martin (Columbia University, GSAS 2013), Mary Freeman (Columbia University, GSAS 2018), and Catherine C. Ricciardi, 2007-2017.

Finding aid, incorporating series descriptions by the GSAS students, written by Catherine C. Ricciardi November 2017.

Revision Description

2014-09-25 File created.

2017-02-07 xml document instance updated by Catherine C. Ricciardi

2017-11-03 xml document instance updated by Catherine C. Ricciardi

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Subject

History / Biographical Note

Biogrpahical Note

Edward W. Said was an academic, literary critic, musician, and political activist for the Palestinian cause in the United States.

Said was born in Jerusalem in 1935, and was raised in Jerusalem and in Cairo. Said came to the United States in 1951, attending the Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts. He went on to attend both Princeton (B.A. 1957) and Harvard (M.A. 1960; Ph.D. 1964).

In 1963, Said began teaching at Columbia University, where he was University Professor of English and Comparative Literature.

Said was the author of many books, including Orientalism (1978); The Question of Palestine (1979); Covering Islam (1980); The World, the Text, and the Critic (1983); Culture and Imperialism (1993); Peace and Its Discontents: Essays on Palestine and the Middle East Peace Process (1996); and Out of Place: A Memoir (1999). Outside of his academic work, Said wrote a regular column for Al-Hayat and Al-Ahram, and was a contributor to newspapers in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Said was also the music critic for The Nation for many years, and co-authored the book Parallels and Paradoxes: Explorations in Music and Society (2002) with Daniel Barenboim.

Said died in 2003 in New York City.