Remembrance: Edward W. Said, 1935-2003.

Remarks made by Clovis Maksoud, Director of the Center for the Global South at American University at the Edward Said Memorial on 13 November 2003, Georgetown University.

WE SHARE TODAY WITH A multitude of others throughout the world the celebration of Edward Said's life. This is an opportunity to revisit his legacy, to be guided by his contributions, and to be further enriched by constantly examining the meaning of his commitment to human liberation. His commitment was the operative word that prompted Edward's multifaceted and extraordinary accomplishments. In many ways his brilliant narrative served the causes he espoused and rendered his advocacy convincing, compelling and singularly effective. This, however, had sustainable relevance and an enduring impact because the lucid text articulated and amplified the just causes which he identified with and indeed personified. In this respect Palestine encapsulated the serious threat to the quest for justice and dignity. He confronted the onslaught on the Palestinian people, not only because he was one of them but because justice denied in his patrimony undermines the prospect of justice everywhere. This belief led to the conviction that Edward Said, besides these contributions is a genuine humanist. From this perspective he undertook a mission that entailed seeking reconciliation and fiercely confronted propensities to compromise. This makes understandable his vehement critique of the Oslo and Camp David processes and, for example, his partnerships and friendships with Daniel Barenboim and others. Edward held firm that mitigating and eliminating the insufferable injustice Palestinians experience would empower Israelis and the Jewish community to recover their dynamic humanist values and traditions from the distortions that Israeli behavior and ruthlessness has caused. It is this breakthrough that made Edward a major force in the Palestinian straggle and a pole of attraction for those who believed that reconciliation is desirable and feasible.

While Palestinian justice was a prevailing theme of his political engagement it did not exclude his equally powerful involvement in the search for universal justice. This explains his close friendships with statesman like Nelson Mandela, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Amerita Sen. But seeking justice was a lifelong endeavor--it became obvious to those who knew, read and learned from him that justice was not an unachievable ideal but a realizable objective. It flows from the aesthetic underpinnings of his rich life. His musical performances, his interest in sponsoring and training the young and unraveling their potential, in addition to his grasp on the function of literature in clarifying the overall human experience and his innovative interpretation of culture all were, in Edward's view, means in the service of his vision, universal justice. Yet this universality meant a transcendence of parochial, ethnic, communal and self-centered identities. He treated identity as an entitlement to equality with others. To him the fruition of the Palestinian identity would help rid Jewish exclusive identity from alienation and racism.

Throughout his illustrious career he remained consistently principled. This explains his ongoing relevance as an inspiration to the hundreds of thousands of young people to remain upbeat amidst their frustrations and their unfulfilled expectations. This is why Edward Said will remain for generations to come a guiding force for the Arab renaissance project and the teacher of the thousands of students and all who have been graced by the warmth of his friendship and the generosity of his spirit.

I miss his phone calls, whether solicitous or admonishing, expressing anger or approval; in all these conversations the clarity of his thoughts, the power of his convictions, the humor that accompanied his self-effacement, the freshness of his views added so much substance to what he sought to convey. The inner calm he demonstrated amidst the period of his illness was absolutely unbelievable. While extremely knowledgeable, he remained innocent. Edward was always eager to express himself and revealing his inner most thoughts and feelings were the exterior manifestation of the well spring of his serenity--the root of his innocence and flow of his inner calm.

A few days before his untimely departure he asked Madam to tell me how sorry he was that he could not come to the tribute the Palestinian Heritage Foundation had for me. That in final tribulation he should even think to explain why he was not able to attend was mind boggling. But that is what made Edward--who must have made so many personal gestures to so many people--endearing and that makes me abundantly thankful for having been considered his friend. I can just imagine how all of you here must feel. We miss the warmth, the charm, the phone calls, the voice, the serenity of his affection. We miss his towering presence, his smile, his readings, the goodness of his heart and the goodness of his looks. We miss our liberty to call this hero and charismatic person--Edward.

But we will not miss this Arab gift to human culture and intellectual integrity, because Edward Said's legacy will remain throbbing in our conscious for generations to come.

Thus while we miss Edward in our moments of self centeredness, his legacy will remain that of Edward Wadih Said, a major contributor to the world's growing constituency of conscious.