Xenization is a poetic technique or thematic concern involving the representation of foreignness, estrangement, or cultural displacement—either through the incorporation of alien languages, perspectives, or imagery, or through the poet’s self-positioning as outsider. Derived from Greek xenos (stranger), xenization may manifest as code-switching, exotic allusion, or narrative defamiliarization, challenging parochialism and expanding poetic horizons. Postcolonial and diasporic poets often employ xenization to explore hybrid identity and linguistic negotiation. For students, it highlights poetry’s role in mediating cross-cultural encounter and the creative potential of linguistic and cultural "otherness" as a source of innovation and critique.

Process of adopting foreign words or forms into native poetic tradition. Related to Xenoglossia and translation poetics. Study how cultures absorb and adapt external influences linguistically.