The Image of the West in Saudi poetry 1920-1990

Abstract

This thesis investigates the image of the West as portrayed in Saudi poetry since the beginning of the new Saudi state in 1920 to 1990, while tackling the concept of ‘’the West’’ as it is used in Saudi poetry, and defining the special characteristics of the Saudi society. By dividing the selected period into three parts, 1920-1945, 1946-1967 and 1968-1990, and investigating more than 250 Saudi poems addressing the West, this research will uncover the image of the West in Saudi poetry as well as the transformations that this image went through, both positively and negatively, under each historical period. This research will also define a series of real factors, which played a main role in drawing this representation about the West in Saudi poetry. Islam, as it practised in Saudi Arabia, and the desert in its social and cultural concept, were examined in this research to find out their role in drawing the image of the West in Saudi poetry. This research also highlights the other historical factors, which played a main role in developing an image of the West throughout these periods of Saudi history across various topics.