Manifestations of Modernization and the Impact of Epistemological References: A Critical Study of the Writings of the Pioneers of Saudi Literature

Abstract

This study examines the formation of modernization in Saudi culture as an intellectual structure rooted in the writer’s consciousness and his interaction with his historical and social environment. This modernization was built on a critical awareness derived from heritage and re-produced without breaking away from it—unlike modernity, which is imposed from the outside as an intellectual leap that seeks to reshape consciousness according to the values of reason, individuality, and freedom. The research problem lies in distinguishing the boundaries between modernization and modernity. It explores the features of modernization in Saudi literature and its connection to epistemological references, the cultural interaction with Arab culture, and the conscious engagement with Western culture—understanding it without fully assimilating into it. This interaction ultimately led to the emergence of an intellectual project firmly rooted in its Arab authenticity. The study traces the efforts of the pioneers of Saudi literature—Muhammad Hasan Awwad, Muhammad Surur Al-Sabban, Hamza Shehata, and Abdullah Abdul-Jabbar—who contributed to building a renaissance project based on renewal and conscious cultural exchange with modern thought. Their work established a literary awareness that is deeply connected to local culture while remaining engaged with contemporary global cultures. The study adopts a historical and thematic approach to reveal the epistemological references in the pioneers’ writings and the paths of their engagement with modern culture. It concludes that this modernization did not arise from a rupture with heritage, but rather from a critical understanding of it, which contributed to the birth of a new cultural renaissance