Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

8-2025

Abstract

The Palestinian keffiyeh is a distinctly patterned black-and-white woven double-cloth, hand-stitched scarf, originally used by farmers of the region. It became a prominent symbol of Palestinian nationalism from mid-twentieth century. Adopted by Yasser Arafat in the 1960s, it became a masculinist icon of Palestine’s politics of resistance, extended by female Palestinian liberationist Leila Khaled’s hijabi-like use, and then mobilised by wider leftist, activist, even Israel-critical Jewish, protest groups in the West.

In recent years, keffiyeh-patterned scarves, accessories, even dresses and skirts – in a range of colours – have appeared periodically in Western fashion stores, on couture catwalks, and around the necks of the hippest hipsters. Controversy surrounds wearing the keffiyeh outside Palestine and the Middle East: wearers, depending on context, are accused of cultural appropriation, inflammatory pro-Palestinian activism, inappropriate posturing, or displaying banned political symbols. Others argue for the international impact of reminding Western audiences of Israel’s actions, pushing for boycotts of Israeli goods and services, and mitigating their own distress by making visible their support for Palestine.

Since Israel’s war on Gaza commenced in October 2023, over 37,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 84,000 injured in Gaza. Sustainable Development Goal 16, which promotes peaceful and inclusive societies, access to justice and human rights, freedom from violence and displacement, and safety and security for communities, is impossible to even imagine as deliverable in the current conflict. With the only traditional keffiyeh producer left in Palestine – the Hirbawi Textile Factory, Hebron – unable to meet soaring demand since the war in Gaza, and most keffiyeh imitations now printed in China, wearing the keffiyeh outside Palestine may arguably be – at best – symbolic. Based in Egypt, the Yemeni-British (Alahdal), Egyptian-Palestinian (Gamal Agha) and Irish (Harper) authors deployed a randomised oral testimony methodology, using personal networks and social media testimony, to better understand why individuals outside of Palestine are wearing the keffiyeh.

Comments

This paper was presented at the 'Fashion as a Tool for Social Change' conference, Woxsen University, Hyderabad, India in August 2024.

Download

Share

COinS