On 16 May 2026, people gathered in the Sibson building on the University of Kent campus, to hear Edward Said, Palestinian-American founder of postcolonial theory in his own voice, as we played excerpts from original recordings of his lectures delivered at the University in 1985.
We explored emerging debates on Palestine, West Asia, the legacies of empire, the role of the intellectual, and the global importance of Humanism, and discussed the enduring influence of Said's ideas on the most urgent questions of our times, and how his thinking still shapes how we understand culture, power, and empire in 2026.
Special guest Professor Wadie E. Said, Professor of Law at the University of Colorado School of Law, joined us to speak about his father's legacy.
Guest of honour:
We hold audio recordings of Edward Said's 1985 lectures delivered at the University of Kent which have been preserved and digitised by our Special Collections and Archives team. Our colleagues in Templeman Library manage the University’s unique and distinctive collections so that they are accessible for the benefit of teaching, scholarship and society.
