Od Saida do filologii i z powrotem
From Said to Philology and Back Again

Summary/Abstract: 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 Polish literary research. The author demonstrates that philology as conceptualized 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 outlines the changes in the the American humanist’s attitude to philology. In Orientalism, Said criticizes Renan’s scientistic 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. The author of the article shows that the ideas of Giambattista Vico and Erich Auerbach are extremely important for the Palestinian-American critic. The next part of the article demonstrates that Said uses methods characteristic of philology in his works, often in spite of the methodological declarations attributed to him (discourse theory).

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