184-399: Edward Wadie Said (1 November 1935 – 24 September 2003) was a Palestinian-American academic, literary critic, and political activist. As a professor of literature at Columbia University , he was among the founders of post-colonial studies . As a cultural critic , Said is best known for his book Orientalism (1978), a foundational text which critiques the cultural representations that are
368-462: A "full-blown crisis" over tensions stemming from a pro-Palestinian campus occupation . These protests at Columbia sparked similar pro-Palestinian protests at universities across the USA. As the protests expanded in scale and notoriety, students and faculty, including people of Jewish heritage, pushed back against the silencing of anti-Zionist voices and accusations of anti-semitism . This sentiment
552-685: A Belly-Dancer" (1990), about Tahia Carioca , the Egyptian dancer, actress, and political militant; and a piano sonata, titled Reflections on Exile (1984), which thematically refers to the emotions inherent to being an exile. In 1999, Said and Barenboim co-founded the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra , composed of young Israeli, Palestinian, and Arab musicians. They also established The Barenboim–Said Foundation in Seville , to develop education-through-music projects. Besides managing
736-555: A Lebanese local resident who said that Said was less than ten metres (ca. 30 ft.) from the Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldiers manning the two-storey guardhouse, when he threw the stone, which hit the barbed wire fence in front of the guardhouse. In the U.S., Said's action was criticised by some students at Columbia University and the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith International (Sons of
920-566: A class of 160 students. In retrospect, he viewed being sent far from the Middle East as a parental decision much influenced by "the prospects of deracinated people, like us the Palestinians, being so uncertain that it would be best to send me as far away as possible." The realities of peripatetic life—of interwoven cultures, of feeling out of place, and of homesickness—so affected the schoolboy Edward that themes of dissonance feature in
1104-596: A compilation of their conversations and public discussions about music at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Said was born on 1 November 1935 into a family of Palestinian Christians in the city of Jerusalem , at the time under the British Mandate for Palestine . His parents were born in the Ottoman Empire : his mother Hilda Said (née Musa) was half Palestinian and half Lebanese, and was raised in
1288-459: A diverse range of professional and inter-disciplinary fields. In the aftermath of World War II, the discipline of international relations became a major scholarly focus of the university, and in response, the School of International and Public Affairs was founded in 1946, drawing upon the resources of the faculties of political science, economics, and history. The Columbia University Bicentennial
1472-412: A dominant vegetation type of Appalachian Oak ( 104 ) with a dominant vegetation form of Eastern Hardwood Forest ( 25 ). Columbia Transportation is the bus service of the university, operated by Academy Bus Lines . The buses are open to all Columbia faculty, students, Dodge Fitness Center members, and anyone else who holds a Columbia ID card. In addition, all TSC students can ride the buses. In
1656-652: A joint investigation by the NYPD and Columbia, the school concluded that the chemical substance was a "non-toxic, legal, novelty item". On April 17, 2024, Columbia president Minouche Shafik was questioned by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on the topic of antisemitism on campus. While Shafik was in Washington, DC, student activists began renewed protests, leading to what CNN described as
1840-657: A major research university. For much of the 19th century, the university consisted of decentralized and separate faculties specializing in Political Science, Philosophy, and Pure Science. In 1979, these faculties were merged into the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences . In 1991, the faculties of Columbia College, the School of General Studies, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the School of
2024-488: A man-to-man contest-of-skill, between a father and his son, and an Arab man's gesture of joy at the end of the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon (1985–2000): "It was a pebble; there was nobody there. The guardhouse was at least half a mile away." Said described the incident as trivial and said that he "threw the stone as a symbolic act" into "an empty place". The Beirut newspaper As-Safir (The Ambassador) interviewed
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#17327723431162208-534: A measure of communal autonomy, to be entitled to Muslim state's protection from outside aggression, to be exempted from military service , and to be exempted from the zakat . Like Arab Muslims , Arab Christians refer to God as " Allah ". As with the Christians of Malta , this practice is distinguished from the Islamic use of the word "Allah" which refers to the personal name of God in that faith. The use of
2392-736: A member of the English and Comparative Literature faculties, where he taught and worked until 2003. He lectured at more than 200 other universities in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. As a public intellectual, Said was a member of the Palestinian National Council supporting a two-state solution that incorporated the Palestinian right of return , before resigning in 1993 due to his criticism of
2576-603: A member of the English and Comparative Literature faculties, where he taught and worked until 2003. In 1974, he was Visiting Professor of Comparative Literature at Harvard; during the 1975–76 period, he was a Fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Science, at Stanford University . In 1977, he became the Parr Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, and subsequently
2760-491: A native Christian Himyarite, Sumyafa Ashwa , as his viceroy. The Aksumites thus conquered Himyar and their rule lasted until 575. The Abyssinians spread Christianity and their rulers built an extravagant building in honor of the Martyrs of Najran. It was known by its contemporaries for its beauty, adorned with ornaments, jewels, and prominent archways. Arabs called it the “Kaaba of Najran”. The Yemenis later rebelled against
2944-482: A neighborhood that contains a number of academic institutions. The university owns over 7,800 apartments in Morningside Heights, housing faculty, graduate students, and staff. Almost two dozen undergraduate dormitories (purpose-built or converted) are located on campus or in Morningside Heights. Columbia University has an extensive tunnel system , more than a century old, with the oldest portions predating
3128-499: A non-Arab identity. The history of Arab Christians coincides with the history of Christianity and the history of the Arabic language ; Arab Christian communities result either from pre-existing Christian communities adopting the Arabic language, or from pre-existing Arabic-speaking communities adopting Christianity. Arab Christians include the indigenous Christian communities of Western Asia who became majority Arabic-speaking after
3312-598: A prominent role in the development of Arab culture. It is agreed amongst historians the importance the roles played by the Arab Christians in this renaissance, and their role in the prosperity through participation in the diaspora. Given this role in politics and culture, Ottoman ministers began to include them in their governments. In the economic sphere, a number of Christian families like the Greek Orthodox Sursock family became prominent. Thus,
3496-688: A result of bombardment. The 1860 civil conflict in Mount Lebanon and Damascus was a civil conflict and later massacre during Ottoman rule, started by skirmishes occurring between the Maronites and the Druze of Mount Lebanon . Following decisive victories and massacres against Christians, the conflict spilled over into other parts of Ottoman Syria , particularly the city Damascus , where over ten thousand Christian residents of various denominations were killed by Druze and Muslim militiamen. With
3680-544: A revision committee, which was headed by John Jay and Alexander Hamilton. In April of that same year, a new charter was adopted for the college granted the power to a separate board of 24 trustees . For a period in the 1790s, with New York City as the federal and state capital and the country under successive Federalist governments, a revived Columbia thrived under the auspices of Federalists such as Hamilton and Jay. President George Washington and Vice President John Adams , in addition to both houses of Congress attended
3864-401: A siege ladder to access the second floor of Hamilton Hall and subsequently removed the demonstrators occupying it, dozens of whom were arrested. The actions taken against the demonstrators by the NYPD in riot armour while clearing Hamilton Hall inspired the rap song 'Hinds Hall' by Macklemore , who described the police as "actors in badges" in the song. In June, the charges against most of
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#17327723431164048-412: A student application process characterized by The New York Times as "the first modern college application". The application required a photograph of the applicant, the maiden name of the applicant's mother, and the applicant's religious background. Columbia University is an independent, privately supported, nonsectarian and not-for-profit institution of higher education. Its official corporate name
4232-647: Is Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York . In 1754, the university's first charter was granted by King George II ; however, its modern charter was first enacted in 1787 and last amended in 1810 by the New York State Legislature. Arab Christians Arab Christians ( Arabic : ﺍﻟْﻤَﺴِﻴﺤِﻴُّﻮﻥ ﺍﻟْﻌَﺮَﺏ , romanized : al-Masīḥiyyūn al-ʿArab ) are ethnic Arabs , Arab nationals, or Arabic speakers, who follow Christianity . The number of Arab Christians who live in
4416-402: Is $ 46,516. In 2015–2016, annual undergraduate tuition at Columbia was $ 50,526 with a total cost of attendance of $ 65,860 (including room and board). The college is need-blind for domestic applicants. On April 11, 2007, Columbia University announced a $ 400 million donation from media billionaire alumnus John Kluge to be used exclusively for undergraduate financial aid. The donation is among
4600-573: Is a Christian broadcasting network that was founded in 1995; it targets primarily Arab Christians in North Africa and the Middle East . These media networks produce dozens of Arabic-language Christian films , musical works, as well as radio and television programmes. Syro-Lebanese Melkite Saleem Takla and his brother Beshara founded the Al-Ahram newspaper in 1875 in Alexandria ; now
4784-763: Is a third campus on the west bank of the Hudson River , the 157-acre (64 ha) Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and Earth Institute in Palisades , New York. A fourth is the 60-acre (24 ha) Nevis Laboratories in Irvington, New York , for the study of particle and motion physics. A satellite site in Paris holds classes at Reid Hall . In 2006, the university established the Office of Environmental Stewardship to initiate, coordinate and implement programs to reduce
4968-662: Is an intellectually limiting influence upon scholars, whilst supporters say that the thesis is intellectually liberating. The fields of post-colonial and cultural studies attempt to explain the "post-colonial world, its peoples, and their discontents", for which the techniques of investigation and efficacy in Orientalism , proved especially applicable in Middle Eastern studies . As such, the investigation and analysis Said applied in Orientalism proved especially practical in literary criticism and cultural studies , such as
5152-534: Is centered on the front steps of Low Memorial Library . The statue represents a personification of the traditional image of the university as an alma mater , or "nourishing mother", draped in an academic gown and seated on a throne. She wears a laurel wreath on her head and holds in her right hand a scepter capped by a King's Crown, a traditional symbol of the university. A book, representing learning, rests on her lap. The arms of her throne end in lamps, representing "Sapientia et Doctrina", or "Wisdom and Learning"; on
5336-605: Is organized into twenty schools, including four undergraduate schools and 16 graduate schools. The university's research efforts include the Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory , the Goddard Institute for Space Studies , and accelerator laboratories with Big Tech firms such as Amazon and IBM . Columbia is a founding member of the Association of American Universities and was the first school in
5520-591: Is ranked fourth overall and second among university hospitals. Columbia's medical school has a strategic partnership with New York State Psychiatric Institute , and is affiliated with 19 other hospitals in the U.S. and four hospitals in other countries. Health-related schools are located at the Columbia University Medical Center , a 20-acre (8.1 ha) campus located in the neighborhood of Washington Heights , fifty blocks uptown. Other teaching hospitals affiliated with Columbia through
5704-518: Is say, 'Well, God gave it to us .' [...] So, I think the people who have a history of residence in Palestine for a certain amount of time—including Jews, yes, and, of course, the Arabs—have a claim. But... this is very important: I don't think any claim [...] nobody has a claim that overrides all the others and entitles that person with that so-called claim to drive people out!" Said's argument against
Edward Said - Misplaced Pages Continue
5888-726: Is the Henry Hudson Parkway ( NY 9A ) to the west of the campus. It is located 3.4 miles (5.5 km) south of the George Washington Bridge . Columbia University received 60,551 applications for the class of 2025 (entering 2021) and a total of around 2,218 were admitted to the two schools for an overall acceptance rate of 3.66%. Columbia is a racially diverse school, with approximately 52% of all students identifying themselves as persons of color. Additionally, 50% of all undergraduates received grants from Columbia. The average grant size awarded to these students
6072-808: Is the Christian cemetery outside the Medina towards the well of 'Anbasa, confirmed by al-Maqdisi , as well as the conversion to Christianity by some members of the Quraish . Following the fall of large portions of former Byzantine and Sasanian provinces to the Arab armies, a large indigenous Christian population of varying ethnicities came under Arab Muslim dominance. Historically, a number of minority Christian sects were persecuted as heretic under Byzantine rule (such as non-Chalcedonians ). The Islamic conquests set forth two processes affecting these Christian communities:
6256-573: Is the only claim or the main claim; I say that it is a claim among many others. Certainly, the Arabs have a much greater claim because they have had a longer history of inhabitance —of actual residence in Palestine— than the Jews did . If you look at the history of Palestine , there's been some quite interesting work done by biblical archaeologists ... you'll see that the period of actual Israelite —as it
6440-470: Is to be an alternative to the extremist politics of the social-democratic Fatah and the Islamist Hamas . Said's founding of the group, as well as his other international political activities concerning Palestine, were noticed by the U.S. government, and Said came under FBI surveillance, which became more intensive after 1972. David Price , an anthropologist at Evergreen State College , requested
6624-485: Is valuable to historians, as it is the only account written by a survivor of a mob attack. Emir Abdelkader al-Jazairi , the exiled Algerian Muslim military leader, ordered his sons and soldiers to protect and shelter Damascene Christians from impending interpersonal violence that was spreading throughout the city, thereby saving thousands, preserving this ancient community from complete devastation. Melkite Greek Catholic and Maronite Christians suffered negligence from
6808-614: The Falastin newspaper in 1911. The paper was Palestine's most consistent critic of the early Zionist movement. In Lebanon, the influential Greek Orthodox Tueni family founded the An-Nahar newspaper in 1933, also one of the leading newspapers today. Shireen Abu Akleh worked as a reporter for the Arabic -language channel Al Jazeera for 25 years. Popular Lebanese singer Fairuz has over 150 million records sold worldwide, making her
6992-793: The 1948 Palestine war , he relocated the family to Egypt, where they had previously lived, and then to the United States. Said enrolled at the secondary school Victoria College while in Egypt and Northfield Mount Hermon School after arriving in the United States. He graduated with a BA in English from Princeton University in 1957, and later with an MA (1960) and a PhD (1964) in English Literature from Harvard University . His principal influences were Antonio Gramsci , Frantz Fanon , Aimé Césaire , Michel Foucault , and Theodor W. Adorno . In 1963, Said joined Columbia University as
7176-794: The Arab Studies Quarterly in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , on the executive board of International PEN , and was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters , the Royal Society of Literature , the Council of Foreign Relations, and the American Philosophical Society . In 1993, Said presented the BBC's annual Reith Lectures , a six-lecture series titled Representation of
7360-659: The Church of Jerusalem – and over time many of their adherents adopted the Arabic language and culture. Separately, a number of early Arab kingdoms and tribes adopted Christianity, including the Nabataeans , Lakhmids , Salihids , Tanukhids , ʿIbādī of al-Hira , and the Ghassanids . In modern times, Arab Christians have played important roles in the Nahda movement, and they have significantly influenced and contributed to
7544-587: The Common Application . The policy change made Columbia one of the last major academic institutions and the last Ivy League university to switch to the Common Application. Scholarships are also given to undergraduate students by the admissions committee. Designations include John W. Kluge Scholars, John Jay Scholars, C. Prescott Davis Scholars, Global Scholars, Egleston Scholars, and Science Research Fellows. Named scholars are selected by
Edward Said - Misplaced Pages Continue
7728-829: The Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem , Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch , Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Maronite Church , and Oriental Orthodox Churches , though some are also members of other churches, including the Catholic Latin Church and Protestant Churches , such as the Lutheran, Anglican, and Reformed traditions. Modern: Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral , Cairo, Egypt Modern: Bkerké , Lebanon Modern: Mariamite Cathedral , Damascus , Syria Modern: Cathedral of Saint George , Damascus, Syria ; (historically Mor Hananyo Monastery , Tur Abdin ) Modern: Cathedral of Our Lady of
7912-633: The Iraq war . The Mahjar (one of its more literal meanings being "the Arab diaspora") was a literary movement that succeeded the Nahda movement. It was started by Christian Arabic-speaking writers who had emigrated to America from Lebanon, Syria and Palestine at the turn of the 20th century. The writers of the Mahjar movement were stimulated by their personal encounter with the Western world and participated in
8096-635: The Israel–Hamas war , with counter-protests from pro- Israel activists. The students were protesting against the alleged genocide of Palestinians in Gaza by the IDF , with significant faculty support for the protests. Protestors were reported to have yelled “October 7th is going to be every day for you,” toward Jewish students. In January 2024, students who were former IDF soldiers were accused of attacking pro-Palestine demonstrators with noxious chemicals in what
8280-584: The Kaaba of Mecca and Ghamdan Palace . On the organizational level, the Archbishop of Yemen held the title " Catholicos " which follows the " Patriarch " in rank. The spread of Christianity amongst Arabs reached Upper Mesopotamia , where Banu Bakr and Banu Mudar lived, both famous for their staunch Christian beliefs and for honoring Sergius the Military Saint . Ibn Khallikan mentioned that all
8464-612: The Land of Israel ), but maintained that it was not "the only claim or the main claim" vis-à-vis all of the other ethnic groups (including Jews and Arabs ) who have inhabited the region throughout human history: Halleran: "Professor Said, do the Zionists have any historical claim to the lands of Israel?" Said: "Of course! But I would not say that the Jewish claim, or the Zionist claim,
8648-475: The Manhattan Project , creating the first nuclear fission reactor in the Americas and researching gaseous diffusion . In 1928, Seth Low Junior College was established by Columbia University in order to mitigate the number of Jewish applicants to Columbia College. The college was closed in 1936 due to the adverse effects of the Great Depression and its students were subsequently taught at Morningside Heights, although they did not belong to any college but to
8832-408: The Middle East was estimated in 2012 to be between 10 and 15 million. Arab Christian communities can be found throughout the Arab world , but are concentrated in the Eastern Mediterranean region of the Levant and Egypt , with smaller communities present throughout the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa . The history of Arab Christians coincides with the history of Eastern Christianity and
9016-430: The Nabataeans alone reached forty according to Ibn Duraid . The first Arab bishop of the Arabs, Saint Moses , spent many years in the 4th century as a hermit between Syria and Egypt. His piety impressed Mavia , Arab warrior- queen of the Tanukhids , and she made his consecration as a bishop over her people a condition to any truce with Rome. The Jordan Valley and the Balqa was under Arab Christian rule by
9200-434: The New York City Subway , the [REDACTED] train serves the university at 116th Street-Columbia University . The M4 , M104 and M60 buses stop on Broadway while the M11 stops on Amsterdam Avenue. The main campus is primarily boxed off by the streets of Amsterdam Avenue, Broadway , 114th street, and 120th street, with some buildings, including Barnard College, located just outside the area. The nearest major highway
9384-427: The Oslo Accords . He advocated for the establishment of a Palestinian state to ensure political and humanitarian equality in the Israeli-occupied territories , where Palestinians have witnessed the increased expansion of Israeli settlements . However, in 1999, he argued that sustainable peace was only possible with one Israeli–Palestinian state . He defined his oppositional relation with the Israeli status quo as
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#17327723431169568-430: The Ottoman authorities and a naval blockade from France and Britain, resulting in the Great Famine of Mount Lebanon (1915–1918) during World War I , which ran in conjunction with the Armenian genocide , the Assyrian genocide and the Greek genocide . The Mount Lebanon famine caused the highest fatality rate by population during World War I . Around 200,000 people starved to death when the population of Mount Lebanon
9752-467: The Palestinian Authority (PA) banned the sale of Said's books; however, the PA lifted the book ban when Said publicly praised Yasir Arafat for rejecting Prime Minister Ehud Barak 's offers at the Middle East Peace Summit at Camp David (2000) in the U.S. In the mid-1990s, Said wrote the foreword to the history book Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousand Years (1994), by Israel Shahak , about Jewish fundamentalism, which presents
9936-458: The Palestinian diaspora and 6–7 million Brazilians are estimated to have Lebanese ancestry. Mass Arab immigration started in the 1890s as Lebanese and Syrian people fled from the political and economic instability which was caused by the collapse of the Ottoman Empire . These early immigrants were known as Syro-Lebanese, Lebanese and Palestinians, or Turks . According to the United States census , there were at least 3.5 million Arabs living in
10120-446: The Palestinian territories , in particular. To address, explain, and correct such perceived orientalism , Said published The Arab Portrayed (1968), a descriptive essay about images of "the Arab " that are meant to evade specific discussion of the historical and cultural realities of the peoples represented in the Middle East, featured in journalism (print, photograph, television) and some types of scholarship (specialist journals). In
10304-402: The Religious Zionism traditionally espoused by Jewish fundamentalists (i.e., citing God to project the Jewish/Israeli claim as superior to the Arab/Palestinian claim) asserted that such justifications were inherently irrational because they would, among other factors, enable Christians and Muslims of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds to lay superseding territorial claims to Palestine on
10488-480: The SSNP ) against insurgents today. When the conflict in Syria began, it was reported that Christians were cautious and avoided taking sides, but that due to the increased violence in Syria and ISIL's growth, Arab Christians have shown support for Assad, fearing that if Assad is overthrown, they will be targeted. Christians support the Assad regime based on fear that the end of the current government could lead to instability. The Carnegie Middle East Center stated that
10672-412: The Upper Manhattan neighborhood of Morningside Heights on Seth Low 's late-19th century vision of a university campus where all disciplines could be taught at one location. The campus was designed along Beaux-Arts planning principles by the architects McKim, Mead & White . Columbia's main campus occupies more than six city blocks , or 32 acres (13 ha), in Morningside Heights, New York City,
10856-420: The history of the Arabic language ; Arab Christian communities either result from pre-existing Christian communities adopting the Arabic language, or from pre-existing Arabic-speaking communities adopting Christianity. The jurisdictions of three of the five patriarchates of the Pentarchy primarily became Arabic-speaking after the early Muslim conquests – the Church of Alexandria , the Church of Antioch and
11040-521: The iPod and co-inventor of the iPhone Tony Fadell , mathematician Michael Atiyah , professor Charles Elachi , intellectual Edward Said , and Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry Elias James Corey and Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine Peter Medawar . Other notables include legendary White House reporter Helen Thomas , activist and presidential candidate Ralph Nader , judge Rosemary Barkett , and US governor and academic administrator Mitch Daniels . Arab Christians mainly belong to
11224-590: The "Urban Beach", are a popular meeting area for Columbia students. The term refers to the long series of granite steps leading from the lower part of campus (South Field) to its upper terrace. In April 2007, the university purchased more than two-thirds of a 17 acres (6.9 ha) site for a new campus in Manhattanville , an industrial neighborhood to the north of the Morningside Heights campus. Stretching from 125th Street to 133rd Street , Columbia Manhattanville houses buildings for Columbia's Business School, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia School of
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#173277234311611408-489: The "association" that was accompanied by the birth of Arab nationalism and the demand for reformation in the Ottoman Empire . This led to the calling of the establishment of modern states based on Europe. It was during this stage that the first compound of the Arabic language was introduced along with the printing of it in letters, and later the movement influenced the fields of music, sculpture, history, humanities, economics and human rights. This cultural renaissance during
11592-455: The Abyssinians and demanded independence. History records Christian influence from Ethiopia to Arab lands in pre-Islamic times, and some Ethiopian Christians may have lived in Mecca . Yemen had an important share in ancient Christianity. In the second century, the Greek theologian Pantaenus left Alexandria and headed towards Yemen as a missionary after his conversion. Historians such as Rufinus and Orosius mentioned that Matthew
11776-554: The Americas, most notably in Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, and the US. However those emigrants to the Americas, especially from the first wave of emigration, have often not passed the Arabic language to their descendants. The concept of an Arab Christian identity remains contentious, with some Arabic-speaking Christian groups in the Middle East , such as Assyrians , Armenians , Greeks and others, rejecting an Arab identity . Individuals from Egypt's Coptic Christian community and Lebanon's Maronite community sometimes assume
11960-425: The Anglo–American Orientalist, as "a perfect exemplification [of an] Establishment Orientalist [whose work] purports to be objective, liberal scholarship, but is, in reality, very close to being propaganda against his subject material." Lewis responded with a harsh critique of Orientalism accusing Said of politicizing the scientific study of the Middle East (and Arabic studies in particular); neglecting to critique
12144-458: The Apostle was the missionary of Yemen and Abyssinia. A special relationship developed between the people of Yemen and the Syrian Church , as inferred by the works of Ephrem the Syrian , the biography of Simeon Stylites , and the historian Philostorgius , who said that some villages and settlements established in Yemen were Syriac -speaking. The famous Al-Qalis Church in Sana'a was built to serve aderents and to attract pilgrims travelling to
12328-428: The Arab hinterland as their political lodestar. In 1982 Israel invaded Lebanon with the aim of destroying the PLO , which it besieged in West Beirut . Israel was later obliged to withdraw as a result of multiple guerrilla attacks by the Lebanese National Resistance Front and increasing hostility across all forces in Lebanon to their presence. With the events of the Arab Spring , the Syrian Arab Christian community
12512-556: The Arab world have made significant contributions to Arab civilization since the introduction of Islam, and they have had a notable impact contributing the culture of the Mashriq . Many Arab Christians today are physicians, entertainers, philosophers, government officials and people of literature. Arab Christians throughout history have been noted for their impact on academia and literature. Arabic-speaking Christian scholars wrote extensive theological and philosophical works and treatises in Arabic in which they not only responded to
12696-466: The Arab–Israeli dispute, or to people who are judged "too conservative." It has nothing to do with whether they are good or not good in their disciplines. So, Orientalism , for many people, is a word that substitutes for thought, and enables people to dismiss certain scholars and their works. I think that is too bad. It may not have been what Edward Saïd meant, at all, but the term has become a kind of slogan. In Orientalism , Said described Bernard Lewis ,
12880-426: The Arts , and the School of Professional Studies were merged into the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, leading to the academic integration and centralized governance of these schools. In 2010, the School of International and Public Affairs , which was previously a part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, became an independent faculty. In fall of 2023, pro-Palestine student activists organized protests in response to
13064-558: The Arts, and the Jerome L. Greene Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior, where research will occur on neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. The $ 7 billion expansion plan included demolishing all buildings, except three that are historically significant (the Studebaker Building , Prentis Hall , and the Nash Building), eliminating the existing light industry and storage warehouses, and relocating tenants in 132 apartments. Replacing these buildings created 6.8 million square feet (630,000 m ) of space for
13248-527: The Book ", Christians in the region were accorded certain rights under Islamic law to practice their religion (including having Christian law used for rulings, settlements or sentences in court). In contrast to Muslims , who paid the zakat tax, they paid the jizya , an obligatory tax. The jizya was not levied on slaves, women, children, monks, the old, the sick, hermits , or the poor. In return, non-Muslim citizens were permitted to practice their faith, to enjoy
13432-625: The Christian Salihids and Ghassanid Kingdom . There are poetic verses by the pre-Islamic poet al-Nabigha in which he praises the kings of Ghassan, congratulating them on Palm Sunday . Bordering Syria, the Sinai was administratively affiliated with the Egyptian Church based in Alexandria . There are documents from the late third century of Dionysius , Pope of Alexandria , in which he mentions his Arab Christian subjects in
13616-491: The Christian Armenians and applied to the Christians in Mount Lebanon." During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War , a number of Palestinian Greek Orthodox and Melkite communities were ethnically cleansed and driven out of their towns, including al-Bassa , Ramla , Lod , Safed , Kafr Bir'im , Iqrit , Tarbikha , Eilabun and Haifa . Many Christian towns or neighborhoods were ethnically cleansed and destroyed during
13800-600: The Covenant). The university provost published a five-page letter stating that Said's action was protected under academic freedom : "To my knowledge, the stone was directed at no-one; no law was broken; no indictment was made; no criminal or civil action has been taken against Professor Saïd." In February 2001, the Freud Society in Austria cancelled a lecture by Said due to the stone-throwing incident. The President of
13984-766: The FBI file on Said through the Freedom of Information Act on behalf of CounterPunch and published a report there on his findings. The released pages of Said's FBI files show that the FBI read Said's books and reported on their contents to Washington. Besides having been a public intellectual, Edward Said was an accomplished pianist, worked as the music critic for The Nation magazine, and wrote four books about music: Musical Elaborations (1991); Parallels and Paradoxes: Explorations in Music and Society (2002), with Daniel Barenboim as co-author; On Late Style: Music and Literature Against
14168-777: The Freud Society said "[t]he majority [of the society] decided to cancel the Freud lecture to avoid an internal clash. I deeply regret that this has been done to Professor Said". In the revised edition of Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World (1997), Said criticized the Orientalist bias of the Western news media's reportage about the Middle East and Islam, especially
14352-517: The Grain (2006); and Music at the Limits (2007) in which final book he spoke of finding musical reflections of his literary and historical ideas in bold compositions and strong performances. Elsewhere in the musical world, the composer Mohammed Fairouz acknowledged the deep influence of Edward Said upon his works; compositionally, Fairouz's First Symphony thematically alludes to the essay "Homage to
14536-536: The Intellectual , wherein he examined the role of the public intellectual in contemporary society, which the BBC published in 2011. In his work, Said frequently researches the term and concept of the cultural archive , especially in his book Culture and Imperialism (1993). He states the cultural archive is a major site where investments in imperial conquest are developed, and that these archives include "narratives, histories, and travel tales." Said emphasizes
14720-682: The Israeli and Palestinian communist party . Nayif Hawatmeh is the founder and leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine , and Kamal Nasser and Hanan Ashrawi were members of the PLO Executive Committee . Christians developed Arabic-speaking Christian media , including various newspapers, radio stations, and television networks such as Télé Lumière , Aghapy TV , CTV , and SAT-7 , which
14904-461: The King's College campus at Park Place to a primarily Gothic Revival campus on 49th Street and Madison Avenue , where it remained for the next forty years. During the last half of the 19th century, under the presidency of Frederick A. P. Barnard , for whom Barnard College is named, the institution rapidly assumed the shape of a modern university. Barnard College was created in 1889 as a response to
15088-664: The Mind of the Enlightenment , 1994) and Said's ideas in Orientalism (1978). The Bulgarian historian Maria Todorova ( Imagining the Balkans , 1997) presented the ethnologic concept of Nesting Balkanisms ( Ethnologia Balkanica , 1997), which is derived from Milica Bakić–Hayden's concept of Nesting Orientalisms. In The Impact of "Biblical Orientalism" in Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Palestine (2014),
15272-485: The Nahda led the Muslims and Christians to a cultural renaissance and national general despotism. This solidified Arab Christians as one of the pillars of the region and not a minority on the fringes. The Massacre of Aleppo of 1850 often referred to simply as The Events was a riot perpetrated by Muslim residents of Aleppo , largely from the eastern quarters of the city, against Christian residents, largely located in
15456-566: The New Testament as the Apostle Paul references his journey to Arabia following his conversion (Galatians 1: 15–17). Later, Eusebius discusses a bishop named Beryllus in the see of Bostra , the site of a synod c. 240 AD and two Councils of Arabia . The New Testament signals an early entry of Christianity among the Arabs; in addition to what was narrated by al-Tabari , Abu al-Fida , al-Maqrizi , Ibn Khaldun and al-Masoudi ,
15640-816: The NewYork-Presbyterian network include the Payne Whitney Clinic in Manhattan, and the Payne Whitney Westchester, a psychiatric institute located in White Plains, New York. On the northern tip of Manhattan island (in the neighborhood of Inwood ), Columbia owns the 26-acre (11 ha) Baker Field, which includes the Lawrence A. Wien Stadium as well as facilities for field sports, outdoor track, and tennis. There
15824-740: The Qur’an . Another sect called "The Davidians" ( Al-Dāwudiyyūn ) were known for their exaggerations in honoring King David . Some contemporary historians classified it as a Judeo-Christian heresy. In Mecca , the Banu Jurhum embraced Christianity at the hands of their sixth king, Abd al-Masih ibn Baqia, and supervised the service of the Haram for a period of time. Banu Azd and Banu Khuza’a became Christians with them according to Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani . The earliest indications of Christianity in Mecca
16008-645: The Sinai and the persecution they faced during the days of the pagan Roman emperor Diocletian . Later, forty martyrs fell in 309 in Mount Sinai during a raid by pagan Arabs on their hermitages . The monks fortified their new monasteries, and the most fortified is still in use today, Saint Catherine's Monastery , built by the commission of Roman emperor Justinian in 565. It has hosted a number of Church bishops and theologians, Ghassanid and Lakhmid kings, and pre-Islamic poets. The southern Arabian city of Najran
16192-601: The U.S. government in the late 1970s. Especially troublesome to Said was his belief that Yasir Arafat had betrayed the right of return of the Palestinian refugees to their houses and properties in the Green Line territories of pre-1967 Israel , and that Arafat ignored the growing political threat of the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories that had been established since the conquest of Palestine in 1967. In 1995, in response to Said's political criticisms,
16376-491: The United States in the year 2000, with around 40% of them originating from Lebanon . The majority of them are members of the Christian faith, making up 63% of the overall Arab American population. Historical events that caused the mass-emigration of Arab Christians include: 1860 civil conflict in Mount Lebanon and Damascus , 1915–1918 Great Famine of Mount Lebanon , 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight , 1956–57 exodus and expulsions from Egypt , Lebanese civil war , and
16560-632: The United States to grant the MD degree . The university also administers and annually awards the Pulitzer Prize . Columbia scientists and scholars have played a pivotal role in scientific breakthroughs including brain–computer interface ; the laser and maser ; nuclear magnetic resonance ; the first nuclear pile ; the first nuclear fission reaction in the Americas ; the first evidence for plate tectonics and continental drift ; and much of
16744-572: The United States. In 1763, Johnson was succeeded in the presidency by Myles Cooper , a graduate of The Queen's College, Oxford , and an ardent Tory . In the charged political climate of the American Revolution , his chief opponent in discussions at the college was an undergraduate of the class of 1777, Alexander Hamilton . The Irish anatomist, Samuel Clossy , was appointed professor of natural philosophy in October 1765 and later
16928-538: The United States. Several buildings on the Morningside Heights campus are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Low Memorial Library , a National Historic Landmark and the centerpiece of the campus, is listed for its architectural significance. Philosophy Hall is listed as the site of the invention of FM radio . Also listed is Pupin Hall , another National Historic Landmark , which houses
17112-962: The West–Eastern Divan Orchestra, the Barenboim–Said Foundation assists with the administration of the Academy of Orchestral Studies, the Musical Education in Palestine Project, and the Early Childhood Musical Education Project, in Seville. Besides honors, memberships, and postings to prestigious organizations worldwide, Edward Said was awarded some twenty honorary university degrees in the course of his professional life as an academic, critic, and Man of Letters. Among
17296-740: The Yemeni Arabs in Iraq converted to Christianity, including Taym al-Lat , Kalb , Lakhm and Tanukh , and many had moved towards Bahrain by the fourth century. In Medina there was a Christian sect that was rejected by the official church and considered heretical. They deified the Virgin Mary and gave her offerings. This sect was mentioned by a number of historians, including Epiphanius and Ibn Taymiyyah , who called them "The Marians" ( Al-Maryamiyyun ). Likewise, al-Zamakhshari and al-Baydawi referred to this sect in their interpretation of
17480-411: The admission committee from first-year applicants. According to Columbia, the first four designated scholars "distinguish themselves for their remarkable academic and personal achievements, dynamism, intellectual curiosity, the originality and independence of their thinking, and the diversity that stems from their different cultures and their varied educational experiences". In 1919, Columbia established
17664-521: The article "Resources of Hope" (2 April 2003), Said said that the U.S. war against Iraq was a politically ill-conceived military enterprise. In 2003, Haidar Abdel-Shafi , Ibrahim Dakak, Mustafa Barghouti , and Said established Al-Mubadara (the Palestinian National Initiative ), headed by Barghouti, a third-party reformist, democratic party meant to be an alternative to the usual two-party politics of Palestine. Its ideology
17848-469: The back of the throne is embossed an image of the seal of the university . The small hidden owl on the sculpture is also the subject of many Columbia legends, the main legend being that the first student in the freshmen class to find the hidden owl on the statue will be valedictorian, and that any subsequent Columbia male who finds it will marry a Barnard student, given that Barnard is a women's college . "The Steps", alternatively known as "Low Steps" or
18032-637: The bases of Orientalism —how the Western world perceives the Orient . His model of textual analysis transformed the academic discourse of researchers in literary theory, literary criticism, and Middle Eastern studies . Born in Jerusalem , Mandatory Palestine , in 1935, Said was a United States citizen by way of his father, who had served in the United States Army during World War I . After
18216-731: The basis of their faith. From 1977 until 1991, Said was an independent member of the Palestinian National Council (PNC). In 1988, he was a proponent of the two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict , and voted for the establishment of the State of Palestine at a meeting of the PNC in Algiers. In 1993, Said quit his membership in the Palestinian National Council, to protest the internal politics that led to
18400-575: The city of Nazareth ; and his father Wadie "William" Said was a Jerusalem-based Palestinian businessman. Both Hilda and Wadie were Arab Christians , adhering to Protestantism . During World War I , Wadie served in the American Expeditionary Forces , subsequently earning United States citizenship for himself and his immediate family. In 1919, Wadie and his cousin established a stationery business in Cairo , Egypt. Although he
18584-474: The college's commencement on May 6, 1789, as a tribute of honor to the many alumni of the school who had been involved in the American Revolution . In November 1813, the college agreed to incorporate its medical school with The College of Physicians and Surgeons, a new school created by the Regents of New York, forming Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons . In 1857, the college moved from
18768-479: The college's first professor of anatomy in 1767. The American Revolutionary War broke out in 1776, and was catastrophic for the operation of King's College, which suspended instruction for eight years beginning in 1776 with the arrival of the Continental Army . The suspension continued through the military occupation of New York City by British troops until their departure in 1783. The college's library
18952-494: The colonial and imperial ambitions of the European powers and of the U.S. Likewise, Said denounced the political and the cultural malpractices of the régimes of the ruling Arab élites who he felt internalized the false and romanticized representations of Arabic culture that were created by Anglo–American Orientalists. Orientalism proposed that much Western study of Islamic civilization was political intellectualism, meant for
19136-399: The company of his son, Wadie, Said revisited the places of his boyhood, and confronted injustices meted out to ordinary Palestinians in the contemporary West Bank . Despite the social and cultural prestige afforded to BBC cinema products in the U.S., the documentary was never broadcast by any American television company. On 3 July 2000, whilst touring the Middle East with his son, Wadie, Said
19320-466: The connivance of the military authorities and Turkish soldiers, Druze and allied paramilitary groups organised pogroms in Damascus which lasted three days (9–11 July). By the war's end, around 20,000 Christians had been killed, and many villages and churches were destroyed. The Christian quarter of old Damascus was destroyed and houses were plundered. Historian Mikhail Mishaqas' memoir of the massacre
19504-834: The consequent seventh-century Muslim conquests in the Fertile Crescent . The Christian Arab presence predates the early Muslim conquests , and there were many Arab tribes that converted to Christianity, beginning in the 1st century. The interests of the Arabs before the 9th century A.D. were focused primarily on the recording and translating of pre-Islamic poetry . The early Arab Christians recorded Syriac hymns , Arabic poetry, ecclesiastical melodies, proverbs, and ḥikam (rules of governance). They did not otherwise record religion, which gave way to conflicting accounts and sparse evidence for specific practices over several centuries. From classical antiquity to modern times, Arab Christians have played important roles contributing to
19688-418: The cultural proposition that Israel's mistreatment of the Palestinians is rooted in a Judaic requirement (of permission) for Jews to commit crimes, including murder, against Gentiles (non-Jews). In his foreword, Said said that Jewish History, Jewish Religion is "nothing less than a concise history of classic and modern Judaism , insofar as these are relevant to the understanding of modern Israel"; and praised
19872-699: The culture of the Mashriq , in particular those in the Levant, Egypt and Iraq. The New Testament has a biblical account of Arab conversion to Christianity recorded in the Book of Acts . When Saint Peter preaches to the people of Jerusalem, they ask, And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? [...] Arabians , we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. (Acts 2:8, 11 KJV ) The first mention of Christianity in Arabia occurs in
20056-651: The disciples of Christ (including Matthew , Bartholomew and Thaddeus ) were the ones who went to Arabia as preachers of the religion. Sozomen of Gaza said that the Arabs converted to Christianity through the efforts of priests and monks who spread to Arab regions, and the strength of Christianity increased with the conversion of the major tribes. The religion was organised in many dioceses controlled by bishops and archbishops . The Arab bishops were divided into types: urban bishops residing in cities, and “tent bishops” who resided in tents and moved with their tribes from one place to another. The number of Arab bishops among
20240-400: The entire university community" and was carried out by both faculty and students. The task force on anti-semitism was criticised by a group of 24 Jewish faculty (as well as 16 non-Jewish faculty) and Jewish students for misrepresentations, omission of key context and equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism. The majority of Columbia's graduate and undergraduate studies are conducted in
20424-563: The essay " Zionism from the Standpoint of Its Victims " (1979), Said argued in favour of the political legitimacy and philosophical authenticity of the claims and right to a Jewish homeland , while also asserting the simultaneously inherent right of national self-determination for the Palestinian people . He also characterized Israel's founding as it happened, the displacement of the Palestinian Arabs that accompanied it, and
20608-479: The fall of 1983, after a decade of failed negotiations with Barnard College , the all-female institution affiliated with the university, to merge the two schools. Barnard College still remains affiliated with Columbia, and all Barnard graduates are issued diplomas signed by the presidents of Columbia University and Barnard College. During the late 20th century, the university underwent significant academic, structural, and administrative changes as it developed into
20792-513: The field of post-colonial studies , for what the British intellectual Terry Eagleton said is the book's "central truth ... that demeaning images of the East, and imperialist incursions into its terrain, have historically gone hand in hand." Both Said's supporters and his critics acknowledge the transformative influence of Orientalism upon scholarship in the humanities; critics say that the thesis
20976-477: The fields of literature , politics, business, philosophy , music, theatre and cinema, medicine, and science. Today Arab Christians still play important roles in the Arab world, and are relatively wealthy, well educated, and politically moderate. Emigrants from Arab Christian communities also make up a significant proportion of the Middle Eastern diaspora, with sizable population concentrations across
21160-708: The first Arab nationalists. As early as 1877, Maronite leader Youssef Bey Karam proposed to Emir Abdelkader the separation of the Arabic-speaking provinces from the Ottoman Empire using the terms al-gins al-'arabi ("Arab race") and gaba'il al-arabiya ("Arab tribes"). In the early 20th century, many prominent Arab nationalists were Christians, like the Syrian intellectual Constantin Zureiq , Ba'athism proponent Michel Aflaq , and Jurji Zaydan , who
21344-521: The founding of a college in the Province of New York began as early as 1704. Classes were initially held in July 1754 and were presided over by the college's first president, Samuel Johnson . The college was officially founded on October 31, 1754, as King's College by royal charter of George II , making it the oldest institution of higher learning in the State of New York and the fifth oldest in
21528-534: The highest selling Middle-Eastern artist of all time. Other Lebanese singers include Majida El Roumi , legendary folk veteran Wadih El Safi , 'Queen of Arab pop' Nancy Ajram , and Lydia Canaan . Syrian notables include George Wassouf and Nassif Zeytoun . Palestinians include Lina Makhul , Fadee Andrawos , and Israeli singer Mira Awad . The Nahda (meaning "the Awakening" or "the Renaissance ")
21712-490: The historian Lorenzo Kamel , presented the concept of "Biblical Orientalism" with an historical analysis of the simplifications of the complex, local Palestinian reality, which occurred from the 1830s until the early 20th century. Kamel said that the selective usage and simplification of religion, in approaching the place known as "The Holy Land", created a view that, as a place, the Holy Land has no human history other than as
21896-486: The historian Shahak for describing contemporary Israel as a nation subsumed in a "Judeo–Nazi" cultural ambiance that allowed the dehumanization of the Palestinian Other : In all my works, I remained fundamentally critical of a gloating and uncritical nationalism. ... My view of Palestine ... remains the same today: I expressed all sorts of reservations about the insouciant nativism, and militant militarism of
22080-602: The honors bestowed to him were: Columbia University Columbia University , officially Columbia University in the City of New York , is a private Ivy League research university in New York City . Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhattan , it is the oldest institution of higher education in New York and the fifth-oldest in the United States . Columbia
22264-598: The initial research and planning for the Manhattan Project during World War II . As of December 2021 , its alumni, faculty, and staff have included seven of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America; four U.S. presidents ; 34 foreign heads of state or government ; two secretaries-general of the United Nations; ten justices of the United States Supreme Court ; 103 Nobel laureates ; 125 National Academy of Sciences members; 53 living billionaires; 23 Olympic medalists ; 33 Academy Award winners ; and 125 Pulitzer Prize recipients. Discussions regarding
22448-473: The interim provost Dennis Mitchell said was “what appears to have been serious crimes, possibly hate crimes”. One of the students suspected in the attack was initially placed on interim suspension before later being suspended through May 2025. In April 2024, the suspended student sued Columbia, alleging that the school subjected him to "biased misconduct proceedings" and that he had used fart sprays such as " Liquid Ass " rather than harmful chemicals. Following
22632-431: The languages, histories, and peoples of Asia. Therefore, Orientalist scholarship implies that the colonial subaltern (the colonised people) were incapable of thinking, acting, or speaking for themselves, thus are incapable of writing their own national histories. In such imperial circumstances, the Orientalist scholars of the West wrote the history of the Orient—and so constructed the modern, cultural identities of Asia—from
22816-401: The largest single gifts to higher education. However, this does not apply to international students, transfer students, visiting students, or students in the School of General Studies. In the fall of 2010, admission to Columbia's undergraduate colleges Columbia College and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (also known as SEAS or Columbia Engineering) began accepting
23000-480: The late Ottoman rule was a quantum leap for Arabs in the post-industrial revolution, and is not limited to the individual fields of cultural renaissance in the nineteenth century, as the Nahda only extended to include the spectrum of society and the fields as a whole. Christian colleges (accepting of all faiths) like Saint Joseph University , American University of Beirut (Syrian Protestant College until 1920) and Al-Hikma University in Baghdad amongst others played
23184-464: The mainly Muslim and Arab nationalist 'leftist' National Movement , supported by the Druze, Greek Orthodox and the Palestinian community. The war was characterized by the kidnap, rape and massacre of those caught in the wrong place as each side eliminated 'enemy' enclaves – mainly Christian or Muslim low-income areas. In Lebanon, Maronites and Melkites looked to France and the Mediterranean world, whereas most Muslims and Greek Orthodox Christians looked to
23368-490: The majority of Christians are more in support of the regime because they fear a chaotic situation or to be under the control of the Islamist Western and Turkish backed armed groups. Millions of people are descended from Arab Christians and they live outside the Middle East, in the Arab diaspora . They mainly reside in the Americas , but many people of Arab Christian descent also reside in Europe , Africa and Oceania . Among them, one million Palestinian Christians live in
23552-443: The most widely circulated Egyptian daily newspaper. Similarly, Lebanese Protestant Faris Nimr co-founded Al Muqattam in 1888, a leading Cairo -based newspaper in circulation until 1954. In Palestine, Najib Nassar 's newspaper Al-Karmil was the first anti-Zionist weekly newspaper. It appeared in Haifa in 1908 and was shut down by the British in the 1940s. Likewise, the Arab Orthodox El-Issa family from Jaffa founded
23736-512: The multiversity model that later universities would adopt. Prior to becoming the president of Columbia University, Butler founded Teachers College , as a school to prepare home economists and manual art teachers for the children of the poor, with philanthropist Grace Hoadley Dodge . Teachers College is currently affiliated as the university's Graduate School of Education. In the 1940s, faculty members, including John R. Dunning , I. I. Rabi , Enrico Fermi , and Polykarp Kusch , began what became
23920-419: The nationalist consensus; I suggested, instead, a critical look at the Arab environment, Palestinian history, and the Israeli realities, with the explicit conclusion that only a negotiated settlement, between the two communities of suffering, Arab and Jewish, would provide respite from the unending war. In 1998, Said made In Search of Palestine (1998), a BBC documentary film about Palestine, past and present. In
24104-422: The new Republic, the legislature stipulated that "the College within the City of New York heretofore called King's College be forever hereafter called and known by the name of Columbia College ", a reference to Columbia , an alternative name for America which in turn comes from the name of Christopher Columbus . The Regents finally became aware of the college's defective constitution in February 1787 and appointed
24288-456: The northern suburbs of the predominantly Christian neighbourhood Judayde (Jdeideh) and Salibeh. The Events are considered by historians to be particularly important in Aleppian history, for they represent the first time disturbances pitted Muslims against Christians in the region. The patriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church Peter VII Jarweh was fatally wounded in the attacks and died a year later. 20–70 people died from rioting and 5,000 died as
24472-414: The only acceptable criterion for true knowledge." The appearance of academic impartiality was part of Lewis's role as an academic authority for zealous "anti–Islamic, anti–Arab, Zionist, and Cold War crusades." Moreover, in the Afterword to the 1995 edition of the book, Said replied to Lewis's criticisms of the first edition of Orientalism (1978). In the academy, Orientalism became a foundational text of
24656-403: The onset of the 1947–1949 Palestine War . By the late 1940s, Said was in Alexandria , enrolled at the Egyptian branch of Victoria College , where "classmates included Hussein of Jordan , and the Egyptian, Syrian, Jordanian, and Saudi Arabian boys whose academic careers would progress to their becoming ministers, prime ministers, and leading businessmen in their respective countries." However, he
24840-428: The participants in the occupation of Hamilton Hall were dropped. In mid-August 2024, three deans and Minouche Shafik , the 20th president of the university, resigned in the wake of the campus protests. In late August, the university's antisemitism task force reported that the university had failed to prevent violence and hate or protect Jews in the university . According to the report, antisemitism has "affected
25024-466: The period between 1948 and 1953. All the Christian residents of Safed , Beisan , Tiberias were removed, and a big percentage displaced in Haifa , Jaffa , Lydda and Ramleh . Arab Christian Constantin Zureiq was the first to coin the term "Nakba" in reference to the 1948 Palestinian exodus. In 1975, the Lebanese Civil War occurred between two broad camps, the mainly Christian 'rightist' Lebanese Front consisting of Maronites and Melkites, and
25208-471: The perspective that the West is the cultural standard to emulate, the norm from which the "exotic and inscrutable" Orientals deviate. Orientalism provoked much professional and personal criticism for Said among academics. Traditional Orientalists, such as Albert Hourani , Robert Graham Irwin , Nikki Keddie , Bernard Lewis , and Kanan Makiya , suffered negative consequences, because Orientalism affected public perception of their intellectual integrity and
25392-495: The physics and astronomy departments. Here the first experiments on the fission of uranium were conducted by Enrico Fermi . The uranium atom was split there ten days after the world's first atom-splitting in Copenhagen , Denmark. Other buildings listed include Casa Italiana , the Delta Psi, Alpha Chapter building of St. Anthony Hall , Earl Hall , and the buildings of the affiliated Union Theological Seminary . A statue by sculptor Daniel Chester French called Alma Mater
25576-482: The place where Bible stories occurred, rather than as Palestine, a country inhabited by many peoples. The post-colonial discourse presented in Orientalism , also influenced post-colonial theology and post-colonial biblical criticism, by which method the analytical reader approaches a scripture from the perspective of a colonial reader. Another book in this area is Postcolonial Theory (1998), by Leela Gandhi , explains Post-colonialism in terms of how it can be applied to
25760-660: The polemics of their Muslim adversaries, but also provided systematic apologetic discussions of the Christian faith and practice. Notable Lebanese academics in the modern era include Carmelite linguist Anastas al-Karmal , novelist Tawfiq Yusuf 'Awwad , and philologist Ibrahim al-Yaziji , whose Bible translations were among the first in the modern Arabic language. There are many New Testament translations or portions into regional colloquial forms of Arabic. Noted Palestinian physician and ethnographer Tawfiq Canaan 's academic work serves as valuable resources to researchers of Palestinian history. Jordanian historian Suleiman Mousa
25944-469: The post-colonial histories of India by Gyan Prakash , Nicholas Dirks and Ronald Inden , modern Cambodia by Simon Springer, and the literary theories of Homi K. Bhabha , Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and Hamid Dabashi ( Iran: A People Interrupted , 2007). In Eastern Europe , Milica Bakić–Hayden developed the concept of Nesting Orientalisms (1992), derived from the ideas of the historian Larry Wolff ( Inventing Eastern Europe: The Map of Civilization on
26128-465: The present campus. Some of these remain accessible to the public, while others have been cordoned off. Butler Library is the largest in the Columbia University Libraries system and one of the largest buildings on the campus. It was completed in 1934 and renamed to Butler Library in 1946. As of 2020 , Columbia's library system includes over 15.0 million volumes, making it the eighth largest library system and fifth largest collegiate library system in
26312-559: The process of Arabization, causing them gradually to adopt Arabic as a spoken, literary, and liturgical language (often alongside their ancestral tongues), and the much slower, yet persistent process of Islamization. As Muslim army commanders expanded their empire and attacked countries in Asia, North Africa and southern Europe, they would offer three conditions to their enemies: convert to Islam, pay jizya (tax) every year, or face war to death. Those who refused war and refused to convert were deemed to have agreed to pay jizya. As " People of
26496-411: The quality of their Orientalist scholarship . The historian Keddie said that Said's critical work about the field of Orientalism had caused, in their academic disciplines: Some unfortunate consequences ... I think that there has been a tendency in the Middle East [studies] field to adopt the word Orientalism as a generalized swear-word, essentially referring to people who take the "wrong" position on
26680-456: The remit of the public intellectual who has "to sift, to judge, to criticize, to choose, so that choice and agency return to the individual" man and woman. In 1999, Said and Argentine-Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim co-founded the West–Eastern Divan Orchestra , which is based in Seville , Spain. Said was also an accomplished pianist, and, with Barenboim, co-authored the book Parallels and Paradoxes: Explorations in Music and Society (2002),
26864-564: The renewal of Arabic literature, hence their proponents referred to as writers of the "late Nahda". The Pen League was the first Arabic-language literary society in North America, formed initially by Syrians Nasib Arida and Abd al-Masih Haddad . Members of the Pen League included: Kahlil Gibran , Elia Abu Madi , Mikhail Naimy , and Ameen Rihani . Eight out of the ten members were Greek Orthodox and two were Maronite Christians. The league dissolved following Gibran's death in 1931 and Mikhail Naimy 's return to Lebanon in 1932. Naimy
27048-427: The right to appropriate private property for public use. On May 20, 2009, the New York State Public Authorities Control Board approved the Manhanttanville expansion plan. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is affiliated with the medical schools of both Columbia University and Cornell University . According to U.S. News & World Report ' s "2020–21 Best Hospitals Honor Roll and Medical Specialties Rankings", it
27232-514: The role of the Western imperial project in the disruption of cultural archives, and theorizes that disciplines such as comparative literature, English, and anthropology can be directly linked to the concept of empire. Said's first published book, Joseph Conrad and the Fiction of Autobiography (1966), was an expansion of the doctoral dissertation he presented to earn the PhD degree. Abdirahman Hussein said in Edward Saïd: Criticism and Society (2010), that Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness (1899)
27416-406: The scholarly findings of the Orientalists; and giving "free rein" to his biases. Said retorted that in The Muslim Discovery of Europe (1982), Lewis responded to his thesis with the claim that the Western quest for knowledge about other societies was unique in its display of disinterested curiosity, which Muslims did not reciprocate towards Europe. Lewis was saying that "knowledge about Europe [was]
27600-477: The second century AD. The Nabataeans , natives of the southern Levant, also converted to Christianity in the Late Roman Period . In Palmyra and near al-Qaryatayn there are Christian monuments and the remains of churches and inscriptions that indicate the spread of the religion into Syria proper. The administration of Jordan under Roman rule was given to the Quda'a tribe. This tribe had embraced Christianity according to Ya'qubi , and were later succeeded by
27784-419: The self-affirmation of European identity, rather than objective academic study; thus, the academic field of Oriental studies functioned as a practical method of cultural discrimination and imperialist domination—that is to say, the Western Orientalist knows more about "the Orient" than do "the Orientals." Western Art, Orientalism continues, has misrepresented the Orient with stereotypes since Antiquity , as in
27968-446: The signing of the Oslo Accords (Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, 1993), which he thought had unacceptable terms, and because the terms had been rejected by the Madrid Conference of 1991 . Said disliked the Oslo Accords for not producing an independent State of Palestine, and because they were politically inferior to a plan that Yasir Arafat had rejected—a plan Said had presented to Arafat on behalf of
28152-461: The source of the false cultural representations in western-eastern relations. The thesis of Orientalism proposes the existence of a "subtle and persistent Eurocentric prejudice against Arabo–Islamic peoples and their culture", which originates from Western culture 's long tradition of false, romanticized images of Asia, in general, and the Middle East in particular. Said wrote that such cultural representations have served as implicit justifications for
28336-437: The subjugation of the Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territories as a manifestation of Western-style imperialism . His books on this topic include The Question of Palestine (1979), The Politics of Dispossession (1994), and The End of the Peace Process (2000). During a lecture conference at the University of Washington in 2003, Said affirmed that Israeli Jews had grounds for a territorial claim to Palestine (or
28520-428: The tendency to editorialize "speculations about the latest conspiracy to blow up buildings, sabotage commercial airliners, and poison water supplies." He criticized the American military involvement in the Kosovo War (1998–99) as an imperial action; and described the Iraq Liberation Act (1998), promulgated during the Clinton Administration, as the political license that predisposed the U.S. to invade Iraq in 2003, which
28704-642: The term Allah in Arab churches predates Islam . During the Islamic Golden Age , Christians contributed to the Islamic civilization in various fields, and the institution known as the House of Wisdom employed Christian scholars to translate works into Arabic and to develop new knowledge. Arab Christians have always been the go-between the Islamic world and the Christian West, mainly down to mutual religious affinity. The Greek Orthodox share Orthodox ties with Russia and Greece ; whilst Melkites and Maronites share Catholic bonds with Italy, Vatican and France. Scholars and intellectuals agree Christians in
28888-440: The tragedy The Persians (472 BCE), by Aeschylus , where the Greek protagonist falls because he misperceived the true nature of The Orient. The European political domination of Asia has biased even the most outwardly objective Western texts about The Orient, to a degree unrecognized by the Western scholars who appropriated for themselves the production of cultural knowledge—the academic work of studying, exploring, and interpreting
29072-547: The university at large. There was an evening school called University Extension, which taught night classes, for a fee, to anyone willing to attend. In 1947, the program was reorganized as an undergraduate college and designated the School of General Studies in response to the return of GIs after World War II . In 1995, the School of General Studies was again reorganized as a full-fledged liberal arts college for non-traditional students (those who have had an academic break of one year or more, or are pursuing dual-degrees) and
29256-463: The university's environmental footprint. The U.S. Green Building Council selected the university's Manhattanville plan for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Neighborhood Design pilot program. Columbia has been rated "B+" by the 2011 College Sustainability Report Card for its environmental and sustainability initiatives. According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Columbia University would have
29440-409: The university's refusal to accept women. In 1896, university president Seth Low moved the campus from 49th Street to its present location, a more spacious campus in the developing neighborhood of Morningside Heights . Under the leadership of Low's successor, Nicholas Murray Butler , who served for over four decades, Columbia rapidly became the nation's major institution for research, setting
29624-445: The university. Community activist groups in West Harlem fought the expansion for reasons ranging from property protection and fair exchange for land, to residents' rights. Subsequent public hearings drew neighborhood opposition. As of December 2008 , the State of New York's Empire State Development Corporation approved use of eminent domain, which, through declaration of Manhattanville's "blighted" status, gives governmental bodies
29808-417: The wider philosophical and intellectual context of history. In 1967, consequent to the Six-Day War , Said became a public intellectual when he acted politically to counter the stereotyped misrepresentations (factual, historical, cultural) with which American news media explained the Arab–Israeli conflict ; reportage divorced from the historical realities of the Middle East , in general, and from Israel and
29992-501: The work and worldview of the academic Said. At school's end, he had become Edward W. Said—a polyglot intellectual (fluent in English, French, and Arabic). He graduated with an A.B. in English from Princeton University in 1957 after completing a senior thesis titled "The Moral Vision: André Gide and Graham Greene ." He later received Master of Arts (1960) and Doctor of Philosophy (1964) degrees in English Literature from Harvard University . In 1963, Said joined Columbia University as
30176-422: Was "foundational to Said's entire career and project". In Beginnings: Intention and Method (1974), Said analyzed the theoretical bases of literary criticism by drawing on the insights of Vico , Valéry , Nietzsche , de Saussure , Lévi-Strauss , Husserl , and Foucault . Said's later works included Said became an established cultural critic with the book Orientalism (1978), a critique of Orientalism as
30360-420: Was a cultural renaissance that began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It began in the wake of the exit of Muhammad Ali of Egypt from the Levant in 1840. Beirut , Cairo , Damascus and Aleppo were the main centers of the renaissance and this led to the establishment of schools, universities, theater and printing presses. This awakening led to the emergence of a politically active movement known as
30544-421: Was authorised with the Iraq Resolution (2 October 2002); and the continual support of Israel by successive U.S. presidential governments, as actions meant to perpetuate regional political instability in the Middle East. In the event, despite being sick with leukemia, as a public intellectual, Said continued criticising the U.S. Invasion of Iraq in mid-2003; and, in the Egyptian Al-Ahram Weekly newspaper, in
30728-422: Was called in the Old Testament —dominance in Palestine amounts to about 200 to 250 years. But there were Moabites , there were Jebusites , there were Canaanites , there were Philistines , there were many other people in Palestine at the time and before and after. And to isolate one of them and say, 'That's the real owner of the land,' I mean, that is—that is fundamentalism. Because the only way you can back it up
30912-414: Was celebrated in 1954. During the 1960s, student activism reached a climax with protests in the spring of 1968 , when hundreds of students occupied buildings on campus. The incident forced the resignation of Columbia's president, Grayson Kirk , and the establishment of the University Senate. Though several schools in the university had admitted women for years, Columbia College first admitted women in
31096-440: Was entirely Christian when Dhu al-Nawas converted to Judaism , and that the people of Najran refused to convert to his faith, so he massacred them. The victims were mentioned by Ibn Ishaq and named in the Quran as the " People of the Ditch ". The Byzantine emperor Justin I was enraged and encouraged Kaleb of Axum to occupy Yemen and eliminate the Jewish king. Dhu al-Nawas was later deposed and killed, prompting Kaleb to appoint
31280-418: Was established as a colonial college by royal charter under George II of Great Britain . It was renamed Columbia College in 1784 following the American Revolution , and in 1787 was placed under a private board of trustees headed by former students Alexander Hamilton and John Jay . In 1896, the campus was moved to its current location in Morningside Heights and renamed Columbia University. Columbia
31464-477: Was estimated to be 400,000 people. The Lebanese diaspora in Egypt funded the shipping of food supplies to Mount Lebanon, sent via the Syrian Island town of Arwad . On 26 May 1916, Lebanese-American writer Khalil Gibran wrote a letter to Mary Haskell that read: "The famine in Mount Lebanon has been planned and instigated by the Turkish government. Already 80,000 have succumbed to starvation and thousands are dying every single day. The same process happened with
31648-429: Was expelled in 1951 for troublesome behaviour, though his academic performance was high. Having relocated to the United States, Said attended Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts —a socially élite, college-prep boarding school where he struggled with social alienation for a year. Nonetheless, he continued to excel academically and achieved the rank of either first (valedictorian) or second (salutatorian) out of
31832-465: Was fully integrated into Columbia's traditional undergraduate curriculum. The same year, the Division of Special Programs, later called the School of Continuing Education and now the School of Professional Studies , was established to reprise the former role of University Extension. While the School of Professional Studies only offered non-degree programs for lifelong learners and high school students in its earliest stages, it now offers degree programs in
32016-407: Was heavily hit in line with other Christian communities of Syria, being victimized by the war and specifically targeted as a minority by Jihadist forces. Many Christians, including Arab Christians, were displaced or fled Syria over the course of the Syrian Civil War , however the majority stayed and continue to fight with the Syrian Armed Forces and the allied Eagles of the Whirlwind (armed wing of
32200-667: Was later repeated in an open letter by Columbia faculty that criticized the findings of the university's antisemitism task force. On April 22, 2024 the university moved all in-person classes online, with President Shafik saying that this decision would "deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps". In late April, several participants in the campus encampment occupied Hamilton Hall . While inside, these protestors overturned furniture, broke windows, and erected barricades. On April 30, Columbia University called New York Police Department to clear Hamilton Hall. Around 9 PM that night, NYPD officers in riot gear used
32384-425: Was looted and its sole building requisitioned for use as a military hospital first by American and then British forces. The legislature agreed to assist the college, and on May 1, 1784, it passed "an Act for granting certain privileges to the College heretofore called King's College". The Act created a board of regents to oversee the resuscitation of King's College, and, in an effort to demonstrate its support for
32568-488: Was made famous by the religious persecution of Christians by one of the kings of Yemen, Dhu Nuwas , who was an enthusiastic convert to Judaism . The leader of the Arabs of Najran during the period, al-Ḥārith, was canonized by the Catholic Church as Arethas . Aretas was the leader of the Christians of Najran in the early 6th century and was executed during the massacre of Christians by the king in 523. Ibn Khaldun , Ibn Hisham and Yaqut al-Hamawi mentioned that Najran
32752-758: Was made famous internationally for his spiritual writings, most notably The Book of Mirdad . Notable diaspora figures include Swiss businessman of Lebanese Greek Orthodox descent Nicolas Hayek , and Mexican business magnate of Maronite descent, Carlos Slim . From 2010 to 2013, Slim was ranked as the richest person in the world by the Forbes magazine. Figures in entertainment include actors Omar Sharif (Melkite-born), Jamie Farr , Salma Hayek , Tony Shalhoub , Vince Vaughn , Danny Thomas , Oscar award winner F. Murray Abraham and film director Youssef Chahine . Figures in academics include plant biologist Joanne Chory , scholar Nassim Nicholas Taleb , cardiac and vascular surgeon Michael DeBakey , inventor of
32936-422: Was photographed throwing a stone across the Blue Line Lebanese–Israel border , which image elicited much political criticism about his action demonstrating an inherent, personal sympathy with terrorism; and, in Commentary magazine, the journalist Edward Alexander labelled Said as "The Professor of Terror", for aggression against Israel. Said explained the stone-throwing as a two-fold action, personal and political;
33120-456: Was raised Protestant, Said became an agnostic in his later years. Said's childhood was split between Jerusalem and Cairo: he was enrolled in Jerusalem's St. George's School , a British boys' school run by the local Anglican Diocese , but stopped going to his classes when growing intercommunal violence between Palestinian Arabs and Palestinian Jews made it too dangerous for him to continue attending, prompting his family to leave Jerusalem at
33304-495: Was reputed to be the first Arab nationalist. Khalil al-Sakakini , a prominent Palestinian Jerusalemite , was Arab Orthodox, as was George Antonius , Lebanese author of The Arab Awakening . Grégoire Haddad , known as the "Red Bishop of Beirut", founded the "Lebanese Social Movement" with Shiite Imam Musa al-Sadr in 1960, and promoted in the following years Islamic-Christian dialogue. The first Syrian nationalists were also Christian. Although both Lebanese, Antoun Saadeh
33488-434: Was the Old Dominion Foundation Professor in the Humanities; and in 1979 was Visiting Professor of Humanities at Johns Hopkins University. Said also worked as a visiting professor at Yale University , and lectured at more than 200 other universities in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. In 1992, Said was promoted to full professor. Editorially, Said served as president of the Modern Language Association , as editor of
33672-538: Was the founder behind the Syrian Social Nationalist Party and Butrus al-Bustani is considered to be the first Syrian nationalist. Sa'adeh rejected Pan-Arabism and argued instead for the creation of a "United Syrian Nation" or "Natural Syria" . George Habash , founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine was Arab Orthodox, and so was Wadie Haddad , the leader of the PFLP's armed wing. Influential Palestinian Christians such as Tawfik Toubi , Daud Turki , Emile Touma and Emile Habibi became leaders of
33856-451: Was the only author to write about Lawrence of Arabia and show the Arab perspective. Mousa noted that there were many books written to praise Lawrence, and all of them exaggerated his part in the Arab Revolt and failed to do justice to the Arabs themselves. Syrian writers include scholar Francis Marrash and writer Hanna Mina , described in Literature from the "Axis of Evil" as the country's most prominent. Arab Christians were among
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