Perspective

Edward Said was an academic in the field of literature that was interested in Palestinian affairs and the study of Orientalism. Having been raised in that part of the world, Said had a natural interest in the field and became active in the field of Orientalism because of the approach taken to the study of the field and to the misconceptions that it led to. He didn't like what he was seeing coming out of the field. He was a faculty member at Columbia University in humanities.

The intended audiences for the book are the academics involved in the study of the area and those who study the output or the effects. Said is basically saying to them that their approach is wrong. Because of the errors in their approach, they reach erroneous conclusions, and these conclusions are the source of misconceptions and misrepresentation about Islam and the...