The 2013 Edward W. Said London Lecture will be delivered by the linguist, political theorist and activist, Professor Noam Chomsky, entitled: Violence & Dignity: Reflections on the Middle East.

Noam Chomsky is an institute professor of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he has worked for over 50 years. He has been described as the “father of modern linguistics” and is a major figure in the theory of analytic philosophy. His work has been very influential in the fields of computer science, mathematics and psychology, and he is internationally recognized as one of the most critically engaged public intellectuals alive today. He is author of over 100 books, and is well known for his critique of US foreign policy, state capitalism and the mainstream news media.

Literary critic, writer, activist, and spokesperson for the Palestinian cause, Edward Said (1935-2003) was one of the most influential intellectuals of his time. The lecture series aims to promote, his sprit through the continued examination of the links between culture and politics in the Middle East and across the world.

With previous lectures by Marina Warner, Rashid Khalidi and Ahdaf Soueif, and forthcoming lectures by Naomi Klein and Daniel Barenboim, the series gives his legacy a public platform in the very heart of cultural and intellectual life in the UK. You can listen to previous years lectures on our website in Recorded Lectures section.

The organising committee includes: Mariam C.Said, Ahdaf Soueif, Mary-Kay Wilmers, Jacqueline Rose and Omar Al-Qattan.

During its first two years, this series has been supported by the A.M Qattan Foundation, British Museum and London Review of Books, as well as a number of generous individual gifts. If you would like to support future talks, please write to Rachael Hornsby on rachael@mosaicrooms.org