June 24th, 2024: The thobe mediating between Palestinian Material Culture and Gendered Activism (Enaya Othman)
We welcome all to read the article: “Crossroad Imagination: The Thob meditating between Palestinian material culture and gendered activism” by Enaya Othman. We discussed this article on Palestinian Clothing Day at the Western encampment for human rights in Palestine. Many participants wore their traditional thobes and shared stories of how they came to own them; some were passed down in their family through generations, or made in Palestine and carried across seas to London.
We also recommend the article “Tatreez: Weaving Palestinian History”.
“Thobe as the authentic dress of the ‘fallaha’, the Palestinian peasant, has become the embodiment of the idealization of the Palestinian land and community, symbol of national unity, perseverance of culture, resistance to colonialism and occupation, and nostalgic longing for and political expression of group identity as a displaced group.”
We asked: are there other symbolisms like tatreez & the thobe that are not only a symbol representing national identity, but actually define national identity?
We discussed the kuffiyeh as worn by Palestinian men.
We discussed ribbon skirts in Indigenous cultures which - like thobes - have designs that are emblematic of specific cultural identities.
We discussed wedding attire in Indian and Pakistani cultures, and the art of henna within various cultures.
“It is a women-controlled domain increasing their voice and visibility. As art of the meaning and symbol it has gained after the occupation and the displacement, and through the use of modern communication technologies and social media platforms to popularize the dress and its transformation, the thob has been brought into the global mainstream by women. As a result, through the revival of its usage, extension to its longevity, and efforts for transgenerational transmission, the thobe gains a more malleable and plastic cultural significance which differs from what was previously perceived to be old-fashioned and traditional.”
We asked: what do we think of digital tatreez designs and printed tatreez products that deviate from traditional stitching of motifs?
We agreed that digital and printed tatreez broadens the art form and thus mediums of resistance. Digital and printed tatreez makes it easier for people to access Palestinian designs, and makes designing tatreez patterns more accessible for those who don’t know how to stitch or are unable to stitch for long periods of time.
However, an important part of the history and practice of tatreez is the process of thobe-making and stitching, which emphasizes community-building and shared tradition. To remove this via digitalization or print removes a part of resistance and culture.
“Motifs and designs not only indicated the region and status of the wearer, but right also communicate personal wishes and feelings of a woman. For example, a woman could tell how many children she wants through the embroidery on her dress... [After 1948] the value and meaning consciously attached to the thobe was now ideologically or politically informed. The prevalence of the national symbols on the thobe after 1948 instead of the perusal stories is a reverberation of the Palestinian national and immigration history with the rise of national movements and efforts to preserve the national heritage. ”
We discussed the significance of thread colour and motifs in thobe designs. Different colours can represent different areas in Palestine. We encourage all to browse the motif library from Tirazain Initiative.
Thobes tell personal stories: it is profound cultural knowledge to be able to interpret the designs on thobes. However, many people share unique stories about their thobes and what the motifs personally mean to them.
“The increasing propensity to own and wear a Palestinian dress in global/ diasporic settings reflects the nostalgic yearning for one’s history, traditions, and identity after the forced displacement. It connects the wearer with family, community, and other kind of social relational linkage in which the dress is used as a performative act to reflect group connection and identity... These objects functioned as mnemonic devices that spatially and temporally connect them to their origins.”
“The Internet not only facilitates the access to the cultural clothing but also creates another space to display clothing and identity. Even for women who wear thobes only during weddings or other cultural events, the Internet, especially social media, transcends this immediate presentation into a permanent demonstration with a stronger effect. The popularity of the traditional clothing is increased by the Internet and social media postings that show the identity markers to everyone rather than constraining it into in-community contexts where the observers are generally the community members.”
We welcome you to read the article: “Crossroad Imagination: The Thob meditating between Paestinian material culture and gendered activism” by Enaya Othman (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343010874_Crossroad_Imagination_The_Thob_Mediating_Between_Palestinian_Material_Culture_and_Gendered_Activism) as a follow up we recommend the article “Tatreez: Weaving Palestinian History” (https://nbmediacoop.org/2024/02/11/tatreez-weaving-palestinian-history/)
