Pedagogy of the Other: Edward Said, Postcolonial Theory, and Strategies for Critique

Edward Said has been acknowledged as one of the greatest critics and cultural theorists of our time. His groundbreaking work Orientalism initiated the development of postcolonial theory, causing a paradigm shift by re-conceptualizing, deconstructing, and re-presenting the ‘Orient’ as the ultimate ‘Other’ of the ‘Occident.’ Despite its influence on other disciplines, the impact of Said’s work in the field of education has not yet been fully explored. This book translates Said’s complex theory into praxis for readers and educators by gleaning key concepts and methodologies, critical and conceptual frameworks, and uses and ramifications for academic critique. Pedagogy of the Other (appropriately named after Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed) suggests ways and means to create an innovative postcolonial teaching practice that does not marginalize, oppress, or negate the Other, but rather, creates a counter-discourse of representation and empowerment.