As part of its 60th anniversary celebrations, the University of Kent and Kent Law School will host Humanity at a Crossroads a interdisciplinary symposium next month exploring the enduring legacy of one of the twentieth century’s most influential intellectuals, Edward Said.
Taking place on Saturday 16 May in the Sibson Building on the Canterbury campus, it brings together leading scholars from across the UK and beyond to revisit Said’s landmark lectures delivered at Kent in 1985. These lectures would later form the foundation of his seminal work Culture and Imperialism, a text that continues to shape contemporary debates around culture, power and empire.
A central and particularly rare feature of the event will be the opportunity to hear Said in his own voice. Attendees will listen to excerpts from original recordings of the 1985 lectures—an unusual and valuable archival resource that offers direct insight into the development of his thought at a pivotal moment in his career.
The symposium will also welcome a special guest, Professor Wadie E. Said (University of Colorado School of Law), who will reflect on his father’s intellectual legacy and its continued global relevance. He joins an impressive line-up of speakers from multiple disciplines, including colleagues from the University of Kent Law, Humanities, Social Sciences, Politics and English, alongside contributors from institutions such as the University of Padova, Maynooth University, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Lebanese American University. From Kent Law School speakers include Jessica Elias, Dr Shahd Hammouri, Dr Gian-Giacomo Fusco, Dr Thanos Zartaloudis and Professor Maria Drakopoulou.
Through plenary sessions and breakout discussions, the event will address some of the most pressing issues of our time. Themes include the legacies of empire and shifting global power structures; the continuing importance of humanism in understanding culture and political narratives; and the role of the public intellectual in contexts marked by conflict, censorship and demands for accountability. Discussions will engage with topics ranging from Palestine and West Asia to international law, dehumanisation, and the relationship between literature and imperial history.
Book online to secure your free place and receive options of various breakout sessions on themes such as ‘End of the world order as we know it’, ‘The global importance of Humanism’, ‘The role of the Public Intellectual in activism and advocacy’
By revisiting Edward Said’s work through both archival material and contemporary scholarship, the symposium offers a timely opportunity to reconsider how his ideas continue to inform debates around culture, power and global justice today.
