In his critical discourse titled "Theatre: Pioneering and Establishment," Dr. Jameel Nassif Al-Tikriti emphasizes the importance of structure as a fundamental element in shaping theatre. He perceives theatre as a complete phenomenon, conditioned by the historical factors of social civilization. Al-Tikriti argues that theatre is a natural outcome of the evolution of human consciousness through various stages. He highlights that the foundations of Greek dramatic literature emerged from qualitative changes in ritualistic and celebratory popular activities, which evolved to transition primitive communities to higher social stages that generate conflict. Social conflict, according to him, is an essential element in the existence of dramatic texts, forming the socio-cultural framework of a play. In this regard, modern theatrical criticism differs from traditional Arab criticism, which relied on impressionism and emotionalism. Instead, modern criticism aims to provide a scientific study that links theatre to its civilizational and social environment.<br /><br />The critic asserts that in its early stages, Greek society immortalized its civilization through epic poetry. Later, after the defeat of the Persian invasion in the 5th century BCE, the Greek individual's perspective on life and the universe changed, leading them to immortalize their experiences through drama. He emphasizes that conflict is a general and fundamental law in the existence of drama, alongside secondary factors such as mentality, religion, customs, and cultural heritage that influence the development of theatre.<br /><br />Dr. Al-Tikriti highlights the lack of attention among Arab theatre critics to the relationship between theatre and cultural sociology. This necessitates studying various schools of cultural sociology to understand Arab social factors during that period. He also points out that analyzing social phenomena should rely on sociological concepts to explain the internal dynamics of theatre.<br /><br />The critic presents his perspective on the division of Arab and Orientalist scholars in their understanding of Arab theatre before the mid-19th century. He categorizes theatrical activity into two levels: first, quasi-theatrical activities that reflect a low level of social awareness; second, the highest and most complex forms of social awareness, which witnessed the emergence of dramatic texts. He asserts that drama confirms the existence of social conflict between individuals or groups. Additionally, he mentions some factions that oppose this view and exaggerate the conflation of theatrical concepts and terms, leading to claims that theatre is inherently Arab and that the West was influenced by it.<br /><br />Dr. Al-Tikriti comments on these differing views:<br /><br />"One faction claims that Arabs had no knowledge of artistic theatre before the mid-19th century, a period marking the beginning of the so-called modern Arab renaissance. This faction attempts to explain the phenomenon by linking artistic theatre to dramatic literature, following various paths to understand it. The other faction, however, has confused theatrical concepts and terminology to an unusual extent, leading to the loss of clear distinctions between quasi-theatrical activities and artistic dramatic theatre. This confusion has led some to claim that theatrical activity was originally Arab and that Europe merely borrowed and adapted it."<br /><br />He adds that some critics have fallen into this confusion, blurring the boundaries between theatrical and quasi-theatrical works. Their analyses lacked an objective critical methodology and were driven by subjective, impressionistic biases, leading to either belittling the efforts of creative pioneers or deliberately distorting texts to align with preconceived opinions without proper study or scrutiny.<br /><br />The critic points out that many studies have overlooked the structure of "conflict," including those by Dr. Taha Hussein, Dr. Louis Awad, Dr. Suhair Al-Qalamawi, Ahmed Hassan Al-Zayyat, and Amin Al-Khouli, among others. He adds that only Zaki Tlemat and Dr. Ezzedine Ismail have come close to addressing this crucial topic. Al-Tikriti considers conflict to be the primary structure in studying theatrical works, while traditional criticism has mainly focused on the structures of quasi-theatrical works, reflecting an emphasis on artistic structure as a response to civilizational relationships and formative conditions influenced by environmental and social awareness.<br /><br />The critic stresses the necessity of analyzing creative theatrical works within their historical and social contexts, as each phenomenon within these structures carries a specific significance that contributes to understanding literary sociology. He emphasizes that understanding the internal relationships between different elements of a literary work helps determine the unity of the work and its thematic meanings, asserting that these dramatic relationships embody social, religious, ideological, and historical conflicts.<br /><br />Al-Tikriti explains that the development of Arab life should have led to the establishment of dramatic relationships at the social level, which literature was expected to reflect. However, Arab researchers have neglected the historical aspect when discussing the absence of drama in ancient Arab life. This lack of historical understanding has led to incorrect assumptions about the emergence of theatrical movements and has caused confusion in identifying the reasons behind the absence of theatre in Arab culture.<br /><br />The critical methodology adopted for analyzing the theatrical phenomenon follows a special approach that integrates two seemingly contradictory epistemological choices—historical and social dimensions—while maintaining their complementarity. The analysis focused on:<br /><br />The historical development and civilizational dialectics accompanying the emergence of literary genres in Arab literature.<br />The search for strong evidence supporting the existence of theatre.<br />The treatment of theatre as a socio-cultural structure, reflecting the civilizational vision of the Arabs.<br />Unlike some Arab critics who followed unscientific approaches, this methodology was rooted in the sociological analysis framework established by Lucien Goldmann in his book "The Hidden God." Goldmann emphasized two interrelated dimensions:<br /><br />The sociological dimension, which examines social structures in cultural and historical expression as a dynamic and dialectical process reflecting conflict or evolution.<br />Due to the lack of historical awareness among some Arab researchers, discussions about the qualitative transformation of the arts that contributed to the formation of theatre have often turned into speculative attempts lacking solid evidence.<br /><br />To properly address the phenomenon of the absence of drama among Arabs, one must closely examine the ideological charge in Arab thought, considering it a cultural stance influenced by environmental, religious, and sensory conditions that avoided conflict.<br /><br />Since cultural creativity cannot occur without considering the historical and social contexts that shaped these phenomena, the factors that led to the emergence of Arab drama should not be discussed in the same way as the factors that gave rise to Greek drama in the late 6th and early 5th centuries BCE. The latter period marked the emergence of advanced and complex social awareness, brought about by qualitative transformations in popular rituals and celebrations, which evolved beyond social life into a higher stage characterized by conflict.<br /><br />Conflict, being the fundamental and universal law of theatre, serves as a clear social indicator linked to stability and specialization as essential historical and social conditions.<br /><br /><br />The article supports Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) by providing an academic critical analysis of Arab theatre and its connection to historical and social contexts. It contributes to advancing research and critical thinking in arts and culture while encouraging the study of cultural and social relationships in theatre, thereby enhancing knowledge awareness among researchers, critics, and students.<br /><br />Almustaqbal university , The number one university in Iraq