Returning Home With Dr. Ibrahim Makkawi: Toward Palestinian Decolonial States of Being

We, two Palestinians in the Diaspora, have come together to write this article as an enactment of sumoud صمود (perseverance in Arabic).We write for enduring being in the face of ongoing capture and colonization of our communities, lands, truths, hearts, and minds. In this article, we share our critical reflections on the decolonial teachings and praxis of Palestinian psychologist Dr. Ibrahim Makkawi, who we lost to cancer on February 9, 2022. Throughout this article, we share our critical insights into our work guided and inspired by Makkawi. We reflect on his legacy while sharing stories from our own personal journeys in contesting colonial violence in our research, writing, community work, healing practice, organizing, teaching, learning, and clinical supervision. We share insights into decolonial states of being as tunnels that Makkawi dreamed into existence within his life’s work. InMakkawi’s legacy, we tether together our personal stories with the precious narratives of two of our colleagues in colonized Palestine who continue Makkawi’s work in their everyday enactments and decolonial healing and resistance.