Elements of the East, Civilization, and Identity in Urdu Poetry

اردو نظم میں مشرق ،تہذیب اور تشخص کے اجزاء

Abstract

This research article examines the concepts of East, civilization, and identity in Urdu poetry by exploring their meanings, conceptual dimensions, and literary implications. It begins with brief explanations of these terms and considers their interrelationship within the cultural and intellectual framework of Urdu literature. The East is treated not simply as a geographical region but as a distinctive cultural and intellectual experience, while civilization refers to shared values, traditions, beliefs, social practices, and collective memory. Identity is understood as cultural and historical selfhood through which individuals and communities define their relationship with the past and present. The study traces these concepts in Urdu poetic tradition through the works of Muhammad Husain Azad, Nazir Akbarabadi, Miraji, N. M. Rashid, Majid Amjad, and Jilani Kamran. Representing different phases and intellectual tendencies of modern Urdu poetry, these poets offer varied perspectives on Eastern cultural consciousness. Their poetry reflects tensions between tradition and modernity, indigenous values and Western influence, collective memory and individual consciousness, and continuity and change. The study concludes that East, civilization, and identity remain significant and recurring concerns in Urdu poetic discourse, shaping literary representations of cultural belonging, historical awareness, social values, and changing forms of collective and individual identity today.