Transculturalism and Globalization as Implied in the Revolution Poetry of Ahmad Fou'ad Najm and Carl Sandburg

The intermingling of transculturalism and globalization has become a hybridized phenomenon in the 20th and 21st centuries. Whereas globalization seeks for connectivity as “the founding tenet of the global age” (Loriggio 55), transculturalism “evokes the movement of ideas and practices, as well as cultural phenomena, from one society to another” (Danyte 26). It points to cultural fluidity and the dynamics of cultural change. Transculturalism and globalization are closely related because they are both defined by the collapse of boundaries as well as the collapse, to some extent, of the nation state. For the purpose of this paper, an analysis is made of literary works that accurately capture the form of globalization and transculturalism that goes beyond the traditional definitions of globalization such as geography, the ideological dichotomy between East and West and colonialism. The core argument of the present paper is that transcultural literary works illustrate a move towards what can be defined as a new age of transcultural political, social and economic thinking. To support this argument, reference using a Transcultural lens is made to the poetry of revolution as outlined in the works of Egyptian poet Ahmad Fouad Najm and the American poet Carl Sandburg. This paper argues that these works deconstruct and demystify culture by promoting liberation from the chains of culture such as sex, race and social class while

Transculturalism and Globalization as Implied in the Revolution
Poetry of Ahmad Fou'ad Najm and Carl Sandburg
8 I (14)
supporting equality and common humanity. Najm and Sandburg provide a blueprint for literary works that promote action at the local level. Sandburg conjured topics in a direct and frequently inconsiderate style for which he was known. Sandburg, a populist writer of the American society, commended the lives of low class workers in a tongue with which the target audience could relate. Like Najm, Sandburg composed poems for the American average citizens. His work celebrated both the regular individual and regular daily existence. In the same manner, Sandburg's poetry addressed the range of American life, especially that of the common laborers. What's more, he made poems that touched on the horrors of modern urban life. Sandburg broke with poetic tradition by tending to unpoetic subjects. Like Najm, he broke with ordinary rhyme plans and structures as observed from the broad utilization of exchange and long lines. Sandburg's poetry, like that of Najm, emerges as a vehicle for conveying his message of confidence in the general population. He did not brood over verse and what constitutes craftsmanship but rather had a practically flippant demeanor towards the theories of style. The primary outcome from this paper is a greater awareness of the role that literary works can play in triggering action in society in a manner that transcends culture.