MAIN NARRATIVES IN EDWARD SAID’S WORK: POSTCOLONIAL CRITIQUE, CULTURE, AND IDENTITY

Abstract

This article presents a comprehensive analysis of four key narratives in Edward Said’s work that have shaped the development of postcolonial criticism and cultural studies. The aim of the study is to determine the conceptual role of these narratives in the formation of contemporary approaches to the study of representation, power, and identity.The first narrative, the representation of the “Other”, explored in Orientalism, demonstrates how Western intellectual and cultural practices construct the East as subordinated and exoticized, thus providing the ideological foundation for colonial domination. The second – the cultural-imperial narrative, developed in Culture and Imperialism, examines how literature and the arts serve as instruments of symbolic control, reproducing and legitimizing power discourses within the cultural sphere. The third – the narrative of exile and emigration – rooted in Said’s personal experience, reveals the impact of displacement and living between cultures on the development of sensitivity to identity-related issues and postcolonial trauma. The fourth – the narrative of intellectual responsibility, articulated in Representations of the Intellectual, defines the role of the intellectual as a moral opponent of dominant structures, capable of resisting the hegemony of knowledge and defending alternative voices.The methodological basis of the study combines discourse analysis with cultural and philosophical approaches, providing a holistic interpretation of Said’s ideas in the broader context of the humanities. These narratives not only explain the mechanisms of colonial and postcolonial discourse but also remain highly relevant for current interdisciplinary research on culture, politics, and identity.