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ERBIL, IRAQ – A new Master's thesis successfully defended at Salahaddin University-Erbil argues that the haiku is not just a form of poetry, but a shared global language of social resistance. The study, "Haiku and Social Reform: A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study," by researcher Murtadha Jaber Hamad, provides a groundbreaking link between the English-language haiku tradition and its counterparts in Japan and the Middle East.

The research presents a compelling argument that poets have adapted the concise form to confront urgent social issues. The study explores the haiku of African American author Richard Wright, analyzing how he used the form to critique racial injustice in the United States. It then places Wright’s work in conversation with Japanese modernist Kaneko Tohta, who used haiku to grapple with post-war industrial alienation, and with contemporary Iraqi poets who use it to document trauma and social fragmentation.

"The study reveals a remarkable parallel," the research states. "Across vastly different cultures, poets are drawn to the haiku's brevity as a tool to expose injustice and give voice to the marginalized."

Using a Marxist framework, the thesis analyzes how themes of alienation and resistance are powerfully condensed into the three-line structure. Supervised by Dr. Sirwan Abdulkarim Ali, the thesis was praised during its defense for its originality and for bridging distinct literary worlds.

The findings offer a significant contribution to haiku studies, confirming that the spirit of the form continues to evolve, inspiring a new generation of politically conscious poets far beyond its origins in Japan.