cultural appropriation

cultural appropriation, adoption of certain language, behaviour, clothing, or tradition belonging to a minority culture or social group by a dominant culture or group in a way that is exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical. An imbalance of power between the appropriator and the appropriated is a critical condition of the concept. Cultural appropriation often is viewed as a problem of the postcolonial world; in this way, the term commonly is used in reference to Western or white populations’ adoption of aspects of non-Western or non-white cultures. Cultural appropriation has been identified across a range of fields, including religion, music, sports, fashion, visual art, and film.

The term cultural appropriation is thought to have emerged in the 1970s from academic discourse on Western colonialism. No one person has been credited with the coining of the term, though close predecessors can be identified. In a 1976 paper British historian Kenneth Coutts-Smith introduced cultural colonialism, a term similar in meaning. Coutts-Smith’s paper is thought to have initiated much of the contemporary discussion of cultural appropriation, though instances regarded by some as cultural appropriation have occurred throughout history before the phenomenon was named. Like many such terms, cultural appropriation eventually made its way out of academic settings and into popular culture.

Cultural appropriation involves some level of ignorance or apathy; that is, appropriators are using a cultural element for their own benefit, whether it be monetary, social, or otherwise, without fully understanding or caring about the cultural significance of what is being appropriated. For communities that have faced systemic oppression, witnessing the commodification of their culture can be offensive and hurtful. One classic manifestation of cultural appropriation occurs when a member of a majority group profits financially or socially from the culture of a minority group. For example, retailers that mass-produce and sell Native American-inspired products, such as tepees for children or decorative dream-catchers, profit from the designs and traditions of Indigenous peoples but may offer no credit or compensation to those whose cultural artifacts were appropriated.

Another common form of cultural appropriation occurs when a member of a majority group separates a cultural element of a minority group from its original meaning. Some instances of this can even be seen as an enduring form of colonization, such as the use of feathered headdresses by white music festival-goers. Unlike traditional Native American jewelry, much of which is sold by Indigenous artists to customers of all cultures, these feathered headdresses hold a significant cultural purpose. Among Plains Indian communities, warbonnets are worn only by community leaders on special occasions; in other groups, they are an earned honour, not unlike a military medal. Because they separate the warbonnet from its original cultural meaning, non-indigenous festival attendees wearing Native American headdresses are practicing cultural appropriation.

Cultural appropriation also occurs when a member of a majority group adopts an element of a minority culture without consequences while members of the minority group face backlash for the same cultural element. Some white female celebrities, for example, have been accused of a form of cultural appropriation known as “blackfishing” after donning dark face makeup and traditionally Black hairstyles or adopting elements of African American English (AAE). This is particularly harmful because white people are able to temporarily co-opt traits for which Black people have historically been ridiculed and can easily abandon those traits if they are no longer in vogue or become inconvenient. The inherent unfairness that the same hairstyle or manner of speech that might be labeled as “unprofessional” for a Black woman could give a white woman social clout is one of the concepts at the root of cultural appropriation.

The term cultural appreciation has appeared as a counter to the original concept, provoking debates about whether a specific instance of adoption is appropriation or appreciation. While cultural appropriation indicates a harmful or thoughtless action, cultural appreciation indicates that care has been taken to respect the culture at hand. For example, it may be considered cultural appreciation for a white woman to wear a traditional lehenga to an Indian wedding, while wearing it as a Halloween costume may be considered appropriative.

Cultural appropriation, like many other social issues, is a controversial topic. Some argue that cultural appropriation is a positive effect of globalization. Holders of this belief tend to reject the nomenclature of the concept, arguing that “appropriation” is misleading, as it indicates theft, when culture is not necessarily a material source that can be stolen. Others reject that cultural appropriation exists altogether.