“Overlapping Territories, Intertwined Histories” by Edward W. Said: Summary and Critique

1. The Decline of Traditional Comparative Literature

• Expanded Analysis: Said begins by lamenting the decline of a once-dominant tradition in comparative literature, characterized by deep, rigorous scholarship rather than the more contemporary focus on criticism. He refers to scholars like Erich Auerbach and Leo Spitzer, who were trained in a method that is now almost obsolete. Auerbach, for example, is best known for his work Mimesis, written in exile during World War II. Said points out that the training and scholarship of these figures were not merely academic exercises but were part of a broader humanistic tradition that sought to understand literature as part of a secular historical experience. This tradition was rooted in the belief that human culture could be studied as a whole, without the need to appeal to divine intervention or otherworldly explanations.
• Evidence: Said provides the example of Auerbach’s Mimesis, which was written as a response to the crisis of European civilization during the rise of fascism. This work was more than just literary analysis; it was an effort to preserve the complexity and diversity of European literature at a time when such values were under threat. The decline of this scholarly tradition, according to Said, represents a loss of a particular depth and breadth in literary studies.

2. Historical and Cultural Roots of Comparative Literature

• Expanded Analysis: Said traces the origins of comparative literature to the Enlightenment, a period marked by the rise of secular anthropology and the development of philological disciplines. He highlights figures like Giambattista Vico, Johann Gottfried Herder, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and the brothers Schlegel, who were instrumental in forming the idea that human culture could be studied as a unified, secular historical experience. This approach was revolutionary because it moved away from viewing history as a series of divine interventions and instead saw it as the product of human actions and cultural developments.
• Evidence: Said notes that the scholars of this period believed in the idea of a “symphonic whole,” where all of mankind’s cultural expressions could be seen as interconnected and worthy of study. This idea was widely accepted across Europe, influencing scholarly work in Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, and later England. This intellectual tradition laid the groundwork for the field of comparative literature, which sought to study world literatures as interconnected parts of a larger humanistic enterprise.

3. Nationalism and Eurocentrism

• Expanded Analysis: Said critiques the rise of nationalism in Europe and the United States, which he argues led to a Eurocentric orientation in comparative literature. This Eurocentrism placed European literatures at the center of the world literary system, often at the expense of non-European literatures, which were either marginalized or devalued. Said suggests that this Eurocentric approach was a byproduct of the political and cultural dominance that Europe exerted over the rest of the world during the period of imperial expansion.
• Evidence: He points out that the universalism claimed by fields like the classics, anthropology, and historiography was in fact Eurocentric, as it assumed the superiority of European culture and often dismissed other literatures and societies as inferior or irrelevant. Said’s critique is rooted in his broader analysis of Orientalism, where he argued that Western scholars systematically constructed the East as the “other,” a place of exoticism and backwardness in contrast to the rational, progressive West.

4. Imperialism and Cultural Hegemony

• Expanded Analysis: Said explores the relationship between imperialism and cultural production, arguing that European literary history is idealistic and often Hegelian, in that it obscures the material and geopolitical realities that underlie it. He suggests that the development of European literature during the period of imperial expansion was closely tied to the rise of empire, with literature playing a role in justifying and sustaining European dominance over colonized peoples and territories.
• Evidence: Said draws on the work of geographical theorists like Halford Mackinder and George Chisolm, who articulated a vision of a “world-empire” commanded by Europe. He argues that this imperial vision was mirrored in the literary and cultural production of the time, where European literature was seen as the pinnacle of human achievement. This vision of world literature was inherently hierarchical, placing European literatures at the top and relegating non-European literatures to a subordinate position. Said emphasizes that this hierarchy was not just a reflection of cultural superiority but was actively involved in maintaining the power structures of imperialism.

5. Contrapuntal Reading

• Expanded Analysis: Said introduces the concept of “contrapuntal reading” as a method for interpreting literature that takes into account the multiple, often conflicting, perspectives that exist within and around a text. This approach involves reading literary works with an awareness of both the dominant narrative of the metropolitan center and the suppressed or marginalized voices from the colonies. By doing so, readers can uncover the ways in which these texts are shaped by the histories of colonization and resistance.
• Evidence: Said uses the example of English novels, such as those by Jane Austen, to illustrate how these works, while primarily concerned with domestic affairs in England, are also deeply implicated in the history of British imperialism. In Mansfield Park, for example, the wealth and stability of the English estate are supported by the profits from a slave plantation in Antigua, a connection that is only hinted at in the novel. By reading such texts contrapuntally, Said argues, we can see how the narratives of colonization and resistance are woven into the fabric of Western literature, even when they are not explicitly acknowledged.

6. Cultural Hybridity and Imperialism

• Expanded Analysis: Said argues that all cultural forms are inherently hybrid, shaped by the interactions between different peoples and cultures, particularly in the context of imperialism. He critiques the Western tradition of isolating cultural and aesthetic realms from political realities, a practice that has its roots in the Enlightenment but became particularly entrenched in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. According to Said, this separation of culture from politics has served to obscure the ways in which cultural production is implicated in the exercise of imperial power.
• Evidence: Said emphasizes the need to reconnect culture with the political and historical contexts in which it is produced. He points out that Western cultural forms, such as literature, art, and philosophy, have been shaped by the experience of empire, even when this connection is not immediately apparent. For example, he argues that the development of the novel in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries cannot be fully understood without considering the rise of European imperialism, which provided the material and ideological context for much of this literary production.

7. Reinterpretation of the Canon

• Expanded Analysis: Said calls for a reinterpretation of the Western literary canon, arguing that it should be read in the context of imperialism and the resistance to it. He criticizes traditional literary scholarship for its failure to acknowledge the ways in which Western literature has been complicit in the imperial project. Instead of reading these texts in isolation, Said suggests that they should be read as part of a broader, polyphonic narrative that includes the voices of colonized peoples and reflects the complex, interconnected histories of empire.
• Evidence: Said argues that works like those of Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling, which are explicitly concerned with imperialism, should not be seen as outliers but as part of a continuum that includes earlier writers like Jane Austen and François-René de Chateaubriand. By reinterpreting the canon in this way, scholars can reveal the ways in which Western literature has both reflected and reinforced the power dynamics of imperialism. Said also stresses the importance of integrating post-colonial perspectives into literary studies, as these perspectives offer valuable insights into the ways in which literature has been used to justify and maintain imperial dominance.

8. Theoretical Work on Empire and Culture

• Expanded Analysis: Said notes that the theoretical work on the relationship between empire and culture is still in its early stages and argues that more needs to be done to fully understand the ways in which cultural forms have been shaped by imperialism. He emphasizes the importance of developing new frameworks for studying culture that take into account the power dynamics of empire and the ways in which these dynamics have influenced cultural production.
• Evidence: Said suggests that scholars need to move beyond the traditional boundaries of literary studies and engage with other disciplines, such as history, anthropology, and political science, in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between culture and imperialism. He also emphasizes the importance of studying popular culture and mass media, which he argues are key sites for the reproduction and contestation of imperial ideologies.

9. Present and Future Implications

• Expanded Analysis: Finally, Said argues that the study of culture and imperialism is not just about understanding the past but also about addressing the present and future. He insists on the importance of recognizing the interconnectedness of past and present, colonizer and colonized, and culture and imperialism. This recognition, he argues, is essential for developing a more just and equitable global society.
• Evidence: Said calls for a more dynamic approach to cultural studies, one that acknowledges the ongoing impact of imperialism on contemporary global relations. He suggests that by studying the overlaps and interconnections between different cultures and histories, scholars can develop a more nuanced understanding of the world and contribute to the ongoing struggle for social justice. This approach requires a commitment to rethinking traditional academic disciplines and embracing new, interdisciplinary methods that reflect the complexity of the modern world.