The Culture and Literary Dimensions of Shu’ubiyy
Aref Alzghoul and Nour Alqudah, Dept. of Semitic and Oriental,Yarmouk
University.
Abstract
Identity is one important aspect of cultural sociology that is worth investigation. Iran is a nation that embraced Islam in the aftermath of the Islamic conquests. The conversion to Islam was not easy at all; the Iranians lost much of their identity, and suffered what in sociology would be called ‘cultural strife’. This divide lasted for two centuries. As a consequence to the lengthy transition period that the Iranian experienced‚ national and religious movements came into being, calling for bringing the Persians back to their heritage and roots, with the aim of restoring their tradition and values. Of particular importance was al-shu'ubiyya, a moral and cultural movement aiming at reviving Persian literature and culture. This revival, in turn, gave rise to various poet celebrities and epics.
Keywords: Al-shu'ubiyya, Literary renaissance (nahdah), Persian culture, shu'ubiyy poets, Al-Shahnama.