Fashioning the keffiyeh as a Palestinian anti-colonial medium

The keffiyeh, an extension of Palestinian lived experiences, spread in use since the genocide in Gaza accelerated in October 2023. We expand previous understandings of it as merely a symbol, exploring the keffiyeh as an anti-colonial medium communicating a Palestinian identity, which is inherently anti-colonial. Its anti-colonial qualities are reinforced in how forces of empire silence and criminalize the keffiyeh’s use. Through studying moments of the keffiyeh’s use and responses to it, we demonstrate how the keffiyeh mediates our anti-colonial Palestinian identity and resistance to Zionism. Through this study, we encourage further investigation into this Palestinian medium to better understand Palestinian meaning-making processes and our collective anti-colonial fights for liberation. Stop the genocide, Free Palestine!