Introduction.

• Author: Terry, Janice J.
• Position: Editorial

AS THE ARAB STUDIES QUARTERLY APPROACHES the end of its 26th year of continuous publication, it is a fitting time to pay tribute to two of its founding fathers--Ibrahim Abu-Lughod and Edward Said. Much to the sorrow of those of us who worked with and enjoyed the company of these two extraordinary men, both Ibrahim and Edward died before the realization of our mutually held dreams for a more democratic and humane Middle East and self-determination for the Palestinians.

Both men eagerly explored and shared their myriad talents with all those fortunate enough to know them as family members, friends, colleagues and students. In her moving political memoir, Elaine C. Hagopian traces Ibrahim's and Edward's involvement with the PLO, Camp David and the Oslo accords over three turbulent decades. Although their support, opposition and belief in a two state or bi-national state solution altered over time, as Ghada Hashem Talhami emphasizes, their commitment to Palestine was absolutely immutable. In his tribute, Jamal R. Nassar focuses on Abu-Lughod's brilliance as a teacher and mentor. In "Edward Said (1935-2003)" and "Our Philological Home is the Earth." Andrew N. Rubin and Moustafa Bayoumi, both colleagues of Edward's, detail his intellectual contribution in literally changing the landscape of cultural attitudes and the way in which a hegemonic/imperial west looks at the "other." Perhaps most crucially, Edward's large oeuvre changed how dispossessed peoples defined themselves, thereby empowering entire new generations.

As teachers...