Emotional Trends In Arabic Poetry Highlighted At Sharjah Seminar On Cultural Identity And Expression

A seminar titled "The Emotional Trend in Arabic Poetry and Its Transformations" examined how feelings shape poetic creation and critical thought, during the 22nd Sharjah Arabic Poetry Festival at the House of Poetry in Sharjah, with specialists analysing links between emotion, identity, nature and literary criticism in two structured sessions.

Participants reviewed how emotional expression in Arabic poetry continues to change, yet remains central to understanding the self and community. Speakers highlighted that emotional discourse moves between poetic practice and critical theory, while also reflecting geography, history and collective experiences across different Arab societies and time periods.

The first session focused on theory and criticism and was chaired by Egyptian critic Dr. Mohammed Mustafa Abu Al Shawarb. The panel included Dr. Saeed Bakkour from Morocco and Dr. Ahmed Al Joua from Tunisia, who both examined how emotional poetry builds inner awareness and influences broader critical approaches to Arabic texts.

Dr. Bakkour argued that emotion works as an internal driving force, shaping self-knowledge, thought and feeling in Arabic verse. According to the paper, emotional poetry records the human inner world through different eras, forming a shared imaginative space that links individuals beyond physical locations and across successive generations.

In his contribution, Dr. Al Joua studied emotional trends in Arabic criticism, following how classical and modern Arab critics treated emotion as a source of psychological states within texts. The paper noted that emotional methods usually begin in poetic practice, then move into critical writing, because poetry is naturally emotional and appears in many stylistic forms.

The second session, chaired by Tunisian critic Lamia Al Aqrabi, turned towards identity and environment in the emotional trend in Arabic poetry. Speakers were Egyptian academic Dr. Mahmoud Al Dabb’a and Jordanian scholar Dr. Omar Al Amri, who explored how emotions interact with cultural context and with representations of nature in poetic language.

Dr. Al Dabb’a discussed the relationship between emotionality and cultural identity, explaining that emotions operate with identity through artistic expression. The paper stressed that these feelings are influenced by history and geography, acting as collective social forces that help shape shared memory, cultural belonging and the artistic choices of Arab poets.

Dr. Al Amri presented a study on nature within emotional poetry, describing emotionality as a symbolic and aesthetic centre of verse. The research showed that Arab poets long used landscapes and natural images to express the self, feelings and psychological reactions to life, weaving these elements into poetic imagery and personal and cultural identity. The seminar was attended by Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Owais, Chairman of the Sharjah Department of Culture, Mohammed Ibrahim Al Qusair, Director of Cultural Affairs, along with a group of poets and literary critics, underscoring continuing interest in emotional trends in Arabic poetry and their critical transformations.

With inputs from WAM