Alternative Radio - Episode June 4, 2025

Edward Said: An Oppositional Intellectual From on high, establishment intellectuals replicate dominant societal narratives, power structures, and established norms. And as long as they perform that task, they are honored, and celebrated and are invited to all the talk shows, and attend dinner parties of the rich and powerful, and get to play golf with them and they are, of course, well rewarded financially. In sharp contrast are intellectuals who go against the grain, who rock the boat, who challenge the existing order, who contest the hegemonic discourse, who speak the truth and expose the lies and deceptions of officialdom. An oppositional intellectual not only questions mainstream ideologies and received wisdom but also offers alternatives. Edward Said was one of the 20th century’s most influential intellectuals. He exemplified the oppositional intellectual who made the comfortable uncomfortable. Interviewed by David Barsamian. Speaker: Nubar Hovsepian Nubar Hovsepian is an associate professor emeritus of political science at Chapman University in Orange, California. He served from 1982 to 1984 as political affairs officer for the United Nations Conference on the Question of Palestine. He edited and contributed to The War on Lebanon. He is the author of Palestinian State Formation: Education and the Construction of National Identity and Edward Said: The Politics of an Oppositional Intellectual. Description from www.alternativeradio.org