Modernity, Memory, and the Child in Palestine: Tawfiq Canaan’s Autobiographical and Ethnographic Accounts

Tawfiq Canaan has a rich ethnographic repertoire that resonates powerfully with contemporary issues.His memoir and writings also offer an opportunity to investigate the theme of childhood in early twentieth-century Palestine.Tawfiq Canaan: An Autobiography, written in 1955 and published sixty-five years later, in 2020, weaves together his life experiences and offers fresh insights into his own childhood.This article examines the theme of childhood in Canaan's memoir and his writings on children's medical treatment and lived rituals, highlighting how his contributions enrich our understanding of childhood under colonial modernity.It argues that Canaan's unique position as both a Western-trained physician and native ethnographer allowed him to document Palestinian childhood as a site of both cultural continuity and transformation, with learning occurring primarily through embodied rituals and oral tradition.