The Production and Reception of Text within the Framework of Racial/Ethnic Theory Nasīb al-Aṣghar’s Poetry and That of His Daughter al-Ḥajnāʾ as a Case Study Nasīb al-Aṣghar’s Poetry and That of His Daughter al-Ḥajnāʾ as a Case Study

Abstract

This study examines two models of early Arabic poetry, namely the poetry of Nasīb al-Aṣghar and that of his daughter al-Ḥajnāʾ, both of whom were Black poets. Their selection as examples aims to explore the production and reception of poetic texts within the framework of racial/ethnic theory—an epistemic and cultural approach that gained momentum in postcolonial studies. Within its critical perspective, this theory highlights the distinctive features of what has come to be known as “Black Literature,” defends it, and underscores its significance and worth. It treats such literature as an essential component of the social and cultural fabric, one that cannot be overlooked or marginalized.

Given that this study focuses on both the production and reception of poetic texts, it necessarily engages—methodologically—with certain mechanisms of reception in one section, while examining each element or component of the poetic text and its interrelations in another. Such a dual approach serves the study’s overall objectives, which include: presenting how Black poetry was received in the past, examining the production of the text under the pressures of color and lineage, and elucidating the defining characteristics of early Black poetry.

Ultimately, the study reaches several conclusions that further its aims. It finds that Black poetry was not subsumed under what is termed “Shuʿūbiyyah,” nor did it acquire a distinct identity akin to that established by Shuʿūbiyyah through the cultural legacies of non-Arab peoples. Likewise, the environment of reception did not stimulate the creation of a distinctive poetic corpus, which explains the scarcity of poems attributed to Nasīb and his daughter. Moreover, the “Black color complex” generated new concepts, such as playful banter regarding color and lineage, which Nasīb employed strategically in order to obtain patronage.

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