Pathway to a Culture of Peace in Edward Said's 'Culture and Imperialism'

This paper investigates the work of Edward Said's "Culture and Imperialism," emphasizing the interplay between languages, communication, literature, and the culture of peace. It reveals Edward's view of language as a powerful tool used in imperialistic narratives to maintain control over the colonized. Said's contrapuntal reading is significant because it reveals imperialistic undertones to emphasize and offer a more nuanced comprehension of history. His concept of a 'culture of peace' is deeply related to the power dynamics inherent in language and literature. The paper aims to understand Said's evaluation of these components as tools for fostering a society in which a culture of peace can only emerge through the decolonization of language and literature, enabling the voices of the colonized to be heard. The methodology adopted in this paper integrates critical discourse analysis with a hermeneutic interpretation of Said's text, focusing on explicit and implicit associations. The results emphasize Said's conceptual framework for language, communication, and literature as distinct yet interconnected tools for propagating a culture of peace in the context of imperialism. Key Words: Edward Said, Contrapuntal Reading, Culture of Peace