Said, Edward W. Representations of the Intellectual

Said, Edward W. Representations of the Intellectual

Said, Edward W. Representations of the Intellectual: The 1993 Reith Lectures (New York: Pantheon Books, 1994).

Representations of the Intellectual

Although this book is almost 30 years old, it may be more relevant that ever in this time of endless sound bites, rampant misinformation, and the substitution of personal bias for reasoned argument. In a series of short essays, Said explores the meaning of “being an intellectual” and the role of intellectuals in society. Of particular relevance to educators today is his definition of “professionalism.” I find his choice of that term somewhat disquieting as teachers have long fought to be recognized as professionals. Said, however, uses the term “professionalism” in a very particular way:

By professionalism I mean thinking of your work as an intellectual as something you do for a living, between the hours of nine and five with one eye on the clock, and another cocked at what is considered to be proper, professional behavior–not rocking the boat, not straying outside the accepted paradigms or limits, making yourself marketable and above all presentable, hence uncontroverial and unpolitical and “objective.”

Teachers are under tremendous pressure to be “accountable.” What they should be accountable for and how that accountability is enforced are all too often imposed by politicians with little understanding of the complexities of teaching.  One consequence of such pressure has been disillusionment among beginning teachers and demorolization among experienced teachers. Some respond by leaving the teaching; others lapse into Said’s definition of “professionalism.” Neither response serves the needs of society. Said raises the questions: how does one speak the truth? What truth? For whom and where? Adapting these to the realm of education, I would ask: how does one speak the truth of education; where can that truth be spoken; and how can such truth bespoken not by the lone practitioner, but by networks of practitioners who work in concet with each other?  In other words, in what ways can teachers enact the role of intellectual for the well-being of their students and the social institution of education?