Palestinian Dress in American Museums: Collecting, Cataloguing, and a Case Study

Date (CHANGED): Friday, January 23, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Location: Online, Zoom link will be emailed at 10am EST on event day
Instructor: Wafa Ghnaim, Dress Historian, Researcher & Educator
Registration Fee: Sliding scale

Description: This lecture presents the research and findings of Wafa Ghnaim’s forthcoming article “Archiving the Thobe,” to be published in the Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice (JTDRP). It outlines a reparative framework for the identification, cataloguing, and stewardship of Palestinian dress in American museum collections. Drawing on oral history, regional provenance, and nearly a decade of sustained research with institutions alongside the development of the Tatreez Institute collection, the lecture examines how museum practices and fashion media produced misattribution, decontextualization, and exoticization. It traces how garments were extracted, anonymized, and reframed through biblical and Orientalist lenses, and how these interpretations continue in contemporary digital spaces, priming American and European audiences to adopt dehumanizing views of Palestinians today. The lecture introduces rematriation as a reparative paradigm grounded in Indigenous feminist ethics and matrilineal stewardship. The session invites artists, admirers, community members, scholarsm and cultural workers to cultivate accountable, community-centered practices that safeguard Palestinian cultural heritage in their museum and cultural work.

Authored by Wafa Ghnaim

What You’ll Receive:

• Live access to the 2-hour event, which includes the Q&A

• A recording for 7 days after the live session

Important Notes:

• Tickets are nonrefundable.

• This is a live virtual event hosted via Zoom. If you are unable to attend live, you may still register to receive access to the recording.

• Registration closes at 10:00 AM EST on January 23, 2026.

• Waiting room closes at 12:30 PM EST.

• All participant names should match their registration name.

• A Zoom link will be sent to registered participants the day before the event.

• The instructor reserves the right to review and decline registrations at her discretion to ensure a respectful and safe learning environment for all participants.

• Camera sharing is required for all attendees.

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