Od Saida do filologii i z powrotem

Abstract

Form Said to Philology and Back Again The article presents the relationship between Edward W. Said’s thoughts and a specific philological tradition in the context of the reception of postcolonial theory in the area of Polish literary research. The author demonstrates that philology in the sense given by Said can support postcolonial studies as well as constitute an inspiring tradition for contemporary literary studies. In the first part of the article the author presents how the attitude of the American humanist to philology was changing. In Orientalism, Said criticizes Renan’s scientist practice, but in all his works he highly values this discipline and perceives it as an emancipatory, humanistic activity that transcends the dynamics of knowledge and power. Author of the article shows that the concepts of Giambattista Vico and Erich Auerbach are extremely important for the Palestinian-American critic. The next part of the article presents that Said uses methods characteristic of philology in his works, often in spite of the methodological declarations attributed to him (discourse theory).