Literary Criticism's Evolution into Cultural Criticism: An Analytical Study of AlGhathami's Cultural Criticism Project

Abstract This study explores Abdullah AlGhathami's project of cultural criticism, examining his cultural reading of Arabic poetry and the ensuing debate between cultural and literary criticism. AlGhathami sought to apply Western cultural theories in a distinctive manner, adapting critical terminology to analyze the underlying structures masked by the aesthetics of Arabic poetry. His bold and penetrating reading unveils the systemic flaws beneath the surface, positioning his cultural criticism as an alternative methodology to traditional literary criticism. This study aims to answer the following questions: How does AlGhathami define cultural criticism? How does he apply this approach to classical Arabic texts? And how does he position his project as an alternative to literary criticism?