Cultural Appropriation

The way that Palestinian cultural works, from clothing, to writings, to our stories, and histories, have been distorted, co-opted, and profited from, all the while working to compound and normalise the ongoing oppression of Palestinians.

What are some examples of this?

  • The Keffiyeh (also spelled kuffiyah, etc.) is perhaps the most ubiquitous symbol of cultural appropriation. Manifestations of its appropriation are vast, from American fast fashion to European designers, Hollywood and Western television, etc. Googling “scarf that terrorists wear” shows ubiquity; 

  • Racist Palestinian representation in TV, movies is covered extensively in text ‘Reel Bad Arabs,’ TV examples include Curb Your Enthusiasm, Community, Fauda. Movies include Golda, You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, etc. 

  • The appropriation even goes so far as to co-opt and distort the meanings and power of Palestinian resistance symbols and chants, like ‘From the River To the Sea’, redefining the word Intifada as anything to do with Jewish people, the colours and symbolism of watermelons, even the simple term ‘Free Palestine’ is not obvious in its meaning of Freeing Palestinians;

  • Palestinian food and music is also used by Israel to erase Palestinian existence and culture by describing food that’s been eaten by Palestinians for centuries as Israeli.

What are the impacts of this?

  • Profiteering off of and essentially stealing the cultural works of a people who have been oppressed and displaced for over 75 years;

  • Appropriation means the loss of opportunity for the culture whose work is being profited off of and re-defined by others;

  • This is a double harm-- insult to injury, as petty theft transforms from short-term harm to generational cultural genocide.

What are some responses to this?

  • The words, clothing and culture of other peoples is not ours to define, distort, profit from, or co-opt;

  • Palestinians happily share many customs and foods with other cultures, but there are many important customs that are uniquely Palestinian and must be acknowledged as such; 

  • Support Palestinian makers, artists, and thinkers. Wear Palestinian-produced keffiyehs to show solidarity.