Textual Dynamics and the Construction of an Arab Critical Methodology: Reading Muhammad Miftah’s Dinamiyyat al-Nash

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to elucidate the epistemological and historical foundations underlying the critical methodology developed by Mohammed Miftah in his book Dinamiyah Nash: Tandir wa Injaz, considering it a distinctive Arab model that successfully integrated the theoretical premises of Western textual modernity while adapting them to an authentic Arab framework of textual interpretation. Design/methods/approach – The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach as its principal methodological framework. The primary corpus, namely Dinamiyah Nash: Tandir wa Injaz, is examined through three interrelated dimensions: first, identifying the position of textual dynamics and its general and specific operational concepts; second, investigating the nature of the textual corpora analyzed by Miftah and the interpretive mechanisms he employed; and third, presenting an applied model for analyzing textual coherence in the Qur’anic text. The analysis is further supplemented by reference to Miftah’s other works published between 1985 and 1994, as well as to major Western theoretical sources in semiotics, hermeneutics, and linguistics. Findings – The findings demonstrate that contemporary Arab criticism, when grounded in a clear epistemological awareness of its methodologies, is capable of constructing analytical models that move beyond mere dependence on Western theories toward an authentic process of methodological indigenization that takes into account the particularities of the Arab textual heritage. The study also opens promising avenues for future research, most notably: extending the analysis of the Qur’anic text through contemporary text-linguistic and pragmatic approaches; applying the concept of textual dynamics to modern Arabic corpora, such as the new novel and digital poetry; and conducting comparative studies between Miftah’s project and other contemporary Arab critical projects in order to trace the trajectories of methodological indigenization within both Maghrebi and Mashriqi Arab critical thought. Research implications – These findings affirm the capacity of Arab criticism to develop analytical models that transcend intellectual dependency and foster authentic methodological indigenization. At the same time, they highlight the need to further advance this project through the incorporation of contemporary pragmatics and text-linguistic methodologies.

KEYWORDS:

Text, Multiple Experiences, Textuality, Dynamics, Muhammad Miftah.