Edward W. Said sought to understand the world through culture and its dynamic relationship with political and economic power. Culture is used often by the authority to suppress, control, and dominate. But culture is also a tool of resistance and subversion and has its own immanent power. In its third annual Edward W. Said Days, the Barenboim-Said Akademie will examine the relationship between culture and power.

Through a program of music, lecture, art, and film curated by Prof. Dr. Mena Mark Hanna, Dean of the Akademie, students and faculty will embark on an unflinching and critical exploration of, as Said quipped aphoristically, “the power of culture and the culture of power…”. Musical performances will explore resistance and subservience to power—and often the shades in between—in German, Soviet, and American music. 

In addition to lectures and music, the exhibition „Dry“, featuring works by photographer Abdo Shanan, will be on view during the Edward W. Said Days 2020 in the lobby of the Barenboim-Said Akademie.