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Head Coverings, Arab Identity, and New Materialism

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Head Coverings, Arab Identity, and New Materialism chapter 9 Head Coverings, Arab Identity, and New Materialism Joseph Donica Collective identity consists of a constellation of has certainly taken a central position within re- shared events, memories, traumas, successes, and cent controversies. geographies, among a variety of other things. The line between what is acceptable use of a Some of these “other things” are the shared every- cultural object that is not one’s own and what is day objects so connected to a people’s collective “mindless” appropriation is still quite blurry. How- identity as to seem inseparable from it. These ob- ever, many are genuinely offended, and discus- jects, though, have recently become battlegrounds sions are happening, primarily on campuses, over questions of whether outsiders should par- about the balance between educating students ticipate in the formation of these collective identi- and calling them out online. Controversies over ties or not. At the writing of this piece, an anti- the cultural appropriation of attire stem, in part, cultural-appropriation moment is in full swing. from a tendency in the United States to politicize National campaigns have been launched to edu- objects traditionally associated with certain eth- cate people about what objects from another cul- nic or cultural groups.2 The process of politicizing ture are appropriate to use or not, and several objects, however, has often dire effects on people high-profile cases of politicians who have appro- who use them on a daily basis. While perhaps use- priated another culture’s things have been brought ful to some, this politicization is hard to undo once to public attention. The “cultural appropriation its political purpose has been served. What hap- wars,” as they have come to be called, began, in pens, though, when we de-politicize objects? Or, is their most recent iteration, around Halloween cos- their de-politicization even possible? tumes on college and university campuses.1 Some In this chapter, I examine the keffiyeh and the of the tensions over appropriation have addressed tension that its politicization causes within the the use of stereotyped bodies of racial and ethnic object’s everyday use to open up a conversation groups, as well as attire stereotypically associated about how a focus on keffiyeh itself as an object with Black Americans, Native Americans, and Asians—somewhat broadly defined. While the cultural appropriation wars over Halloween rarely 2 This topic has increasingly gained in prominence in cur- mention attire associated with Arabs, that attire rent years. For some insightful discussion on sartorial ex- pressions of cultural appropriation vs. appreciation, see, for instance, Hsiao-Cheng Han, “Moving from Cultural Ap- 1 The Yale University incident in 2015, in which faculty propriation to Cultural Appreciation,” Art Education 72, no. pushed against students’ demands for safe spaces, free from 2 (2019): 8–13; Michelle Liu Carriger, “No ‘Thing to Wear’: offensive costumes, became the symbol for these “wars.” A Brief History of Kimono and Inappropriation from Ja- Halloween has become the most contested event around ponisme to Kimono Protests,” Theatre Research Interna- which the conversation about appropriation occurs, given tional 43, no. 2 (2018): 165–84; Regan de Loggans, “Selling the holiday’s freedom to play with identities not one’s Headdresses to Hipsters: A Discussion on the Cultural Ap- own. For details, see Conor Friedersdorf, “The New Intoler- propriation of Native American Regalia” (Master’s thesis, ance of Student Activism,” The Atlantic, November 9, 2015, State University of New York, 2017); and Nadim N. Damluji, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/11/ “Imperialism Reconfigured: The Cultural Interpretations the-new-intolerance-of-student-activism-at-yale/414810/. of the Keffiyeh” (Honors Thesis, Whitman College, 2010). © Joseph Donica, ���1 | doi 10.1163/97890044359�6_011 This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Joseph Donica - 9789004435926 Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 01:32:07AM via free access 164 Donica with its own agency can illuminate the construc- clothing seen in the Arab world, especially head tion of an Arab identity through everyday objects. coverings. Such coverings have multiple levels of I do so by shifting focus from political controver- utility and meaning in Arab cultures. The hijab is sies over the keffiyeh to the keffiyeh as a thing with one of the most recognizable of them as it indi- a politics of its own. I will start by looking at how cates the religious identity of the Arab-Muslim the scarf has become politicized, turn then to the women. There is also their practical level: head scholarship on the entanglement of things with coverings are used by both men and women for human intentions, and next ask if it is possible to protection against harsh weather. Because many reach a fuller understanding of the keffiyeh as an Arab-majority countries are geographically locat- object we can simply appreciate without forcing ed in hot, arid climates, this requires people living conversations about appropriation on it. My ex- there to cover their head and face during parts of amination of the keffiyeh through the lenses of the day. This mix of culture, religion, and practical new materialism will, thus, lead me to question use has caused head coverings to build up a history the fine line between cultural appropriation and and life of their own. cultural appreciation when considering the keffi- Head coverings have also been used in more yeh as a fashion item in a globalized world. pointed ways by Arabs and non-Arabs alike to in- dicate an Arab identity on other levels. The veil, in any of its forms, has been used by Arab-Muslim 1 Head Coverings as Identity Markers women to identify themselves religiously, cultur- ally, and even politically, and it has been used by Head coverings are some of the material objects non-Arab and non-Muslim people to identi- most often associated with an “Arab” identity. fy Arab-Muslim women as culturally other— Whether it is the hijab or the keffiyeh, these objects especially in Europe and the U.S. There is also a usually denote an Arab identity even though they long history of Western film and art using head are worn worldwide by many non-Arab Muslims. coverings to identify characters as Arab, at times in Despite calls that a collective “Arab” identity is a a derogatory way. Jack Shaheen’s book and subse- thing of the past, Christopher Phillips argues that quent documentary, Reel Bad Arabs,4 outline just this notion has seen a resurgence not just during how influential these images are on the attitudes the Arab revolts of 2011, or the Arab Spring, but toward Arabs in the West. His ideas, of course, are also in recent discussions about everyday markers informed by the seminal work of Edward Said and of identity, such as clothing. Phillips admits that his field- defining “Orientalism.”5 Both theorists “Arab identity has been constructed, reproduced point out some of the hard truths that Western and disseminated … by the state regimes” and that cultures have yet to come to terms with in their narratives of Arab identity “are now reproduced representations of Arabs. every day in a largely routine and everyday While the veil, in its many forms, has attracted manner.”3 The “everyday Arabism” that Phillips significant scholarly attention in the past decades,6 describes—such as the supra-national discourses promoted by some political regimes or news out- lets like Al-Jazeera—is seen not only on television 4 Jack Shaheen, Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a and online but also on the Arab streets. One of the People (Northampton: Interlink, 2001). 5 Edward W. Said, Orientalism (New York: Pantheon, 1978). crucial aspects of this urban scene is the distinctive 6 For recent scholarship on the veil, see Leila Ahmed, A Qui- et Revolution: The Veil’s Resurgence, from the Middle East to 3 Christopher Phillips, Everyday Arab Identity: The Daily Re- America (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2011); Eliz- production of the Arab World (London: Routledge, 2013), abeth Bucar, The Islamic Veil: A Beginner’s Guide (Oxford: 1–2. OneWorld Publications, 2012); Hilal Elver, The Headscarf Joseph Donica - 9789004435926 Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 01:32:07AM via free access Head Coverings, Arab Identity, and the New Materialism 165 the traditional head covering worn by Arab men, when addressing issues of appropriation can be the keffiyeh (spelled kufiya, kufiyah, or kaffiyeh de- better categorized within the language of taste, pending on transliteration), has received compar- sentiment, and offense. We have the right to of- atively less attention. However, the keffiyeh signals fend, but the question is whether we should. Cul- everyday Arabness in more ways that the veil does, tural appropriation has not hit the courts, so the being one of the most distinctive items defining an language needs some fine tuning. In an interview Arab man’s cultural identity. Although, unlike the with Conor Friedersdorf about the appropriate- veil, there is little religious significance placed on ness of white artists to use images of Black lynching the keffiyeh as Arab Christians, Muslims, Druze, victims, for instance, Jonathan Blanks cautioned and secular Arab men wear it, the keffiyeh has been that, “[t]oo often … what a cultural-appropriation intensely politicized, gaining new meanings in argument boils down to is a misapplication of changing historical contexts. Since the 1930s, for voice and representation.” The aspect that Blanks instance, the keffiyeh has become a symbol of Pal- is most interested in when engaging another’s cul- estinian nationalism and of solidarity with the ture is that of “risk.”7 To engage one’s culture is to rights of Palestinians.
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