Al-Sijal in Contemporary Arabic Poetry: A Theoretical and Applied Study

This study examines the phenomenon of poetic polemics in contemporary Arabic poetry, drawing on both theoretical and analytical approaches to show how polemics has evolved from a direct verbal confrontation into a complex semantic and aesthetic structure that shapes the modern poem. The research defines the concept linguistically and terminologically, then traces its roots in Arabic literary heritage where argumentation was central to poetic and rhetorical practices. A review of previous studies is also provided to clarify the contribution of this research. The applied section analyses fifteen selected models from contemporary Arab poets, representing various forms of polemics such as identity, existence, exile, language, time, freedom, heritage, war and place. The results show that contemporary poetic polemics relies on mechanisms such as semantic opposition, symbolic contrast, internal objection, dialogic countervoice, confrontational intertextuality, and the reformation of previous discourses. The study concludes that poetic polemics is an intellectual practice reflecting the dynamism of consciousness and the plurality of voices within the text, enabling poetry to question dominant discourses and generate new meanings.