by ur_mikasa_baby Asapena'22
What is cultural appropriation?
According to Oxford Dictionaries, which only put the phrase into its official lexicon in 2017, defines cultural appropriation as “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.”
So, cultural appropriation refers to the use of objects or elements of a non-dominant culture in a way that doesn't respect their original meaning, give credit to their source, or reinforces stereotypes or contributes to oppression. In this way, cultural appropriation is a layered and nuanced phenomenon that many people may have trouble understanding or may not realize when they are doing it themselves. It may be natural to merge and blend cultures as people from different backgrounds come together and interact. In fact, many wonderful inventions and creations have been born from the merging of such cultures, such as country music. However, the line is drawn when a dominant cultural group makes use of elements of a non-dominant group in a way that the non-dominant group views as exploitative.
Then, What is wrong with it?
Yup, of course the problem arises when somebody takes something from another less dominant culture in a way that members of that culture find undesirable and offensive. The point is that the more marginalised group doesn’t get a say, while their heritage is deployed by someone in a position of greater privilege which aims just for fun or fashion, perhaps, and out of a place of ignorance rather than knowledge of that culture.
What are some Examples of Cultural Appropriation?
There are several examples of items that tend to be the target of cultural appropriation, such as :
Intellectual property
Artifacts
Dance
Clothing and fashion
Language
Music
Religious symbols
Decorations
Makeup
Hairstyle
Etc.
So, What Can We Do to Avoid Cultural Appropriation?
Here are some steps that can be taken to avoid or prevent Cultural Appropriation :
Ask yourself the list of questions above to begin to explore the underlying motivation for what you are doing.
Give credit or recognise the origin of items that you borrow or promote from other cultures rather than claiming them to be your own original ideas.
Take the time to learn about and truly appreciate a culture before you borrow or adopt elements of that culture. Learn from those who are members of the culture, visit venues run by actual members of a culture (such as restaurants), and you also can attend authentic events.
Support small businesses run by original members of a culture rather than buying mass-produced items from big box stores that are made to represent a culture.
Cultural appropriation can be most easily recognized by asking the question of the non-dominant group: Does the use of this element of your culture in this way bother you?
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