The term “cultural appropriation” describes when people of one culture use aspects of another culture. Individuals from one group may be accused of cultural appropriation if they take parts of another group’s customs and practices and use them in their own. When someone from another culture attempts to adopt parts of another culture, they may encounter difficulties due to their lack of familiarity with that society. When a member of the majority culture absorbs features of a minority culture, for example, the process might become contentious (Matthes, 2016). Associating with people of a different cultural background is akin to cultural appropriation. Assimilation and acculturation, on the other hand, are seen as acts of colonialism, but cultural appropriation is not. Appropriating another culture’s symbols, rituals, or even whole behaviors may be perplexing and lead to perversions of the original (Thompson, 2015). Thus, it is seen as damaging by certain people and communities. Appropriation of another culture’s customs and practices for one’s own commercial or creative advantage is a typical occurrence in today’s globalized world.
In recent years, the problem of cultural appropriation has received a lot more attention. One of the key concerns is whether or not artists can depict alien cultures and experiences. Is it OK for authors to create characters that are different from themselves in terms of race, sexual orientation, or gender? (Thompson, 2015). Artists should be unrestricted in their pursuit of new cultural experiences and expressions. There would not be places for genres like fantasy and science fiction if this were not the case.
The motivations for cultural appropriation are often exploitative and self-serving. It is important for artists to be able to make references to and recognize the impact of civilizations other than their own. However, artists should be aware that they have responsibility for the accuracy with which they portray other cultures in their works. When representing features of a different culture in one’s artwork, an artist who values cultural diversity should perform substantial background study (Rogers, 2016). Artists who take the time to learn about the communities they represent get that community’s and culture’s appreciation and appreciation for them in turn. An example of cultural appropriation is when Justin Bieber changed his hairstyle to resemble dreadlocks which is a common hairstyle linked to the Black hair and seemed to be a problematic to the white hair (Desk, 2021). Another example is Bruno Mars who is accused of a hundred percent cultural appropriation for claiming that he is a black yet his mother is a Filipina and his father is Puerto Rican and Jewish.
There are times when borrowing from another culture is acceptable. In his work titled “Cultural Appropriation and the Arts,” James Young explains when it is acceptable to steal ideas from another culture (Young, 2010). He argues that individuals exaggerate the offensiveness and damage of cultural appropriation. He continues by saying that the aesthetic success of cultural appropriation is overstated. It is not hard to find examples of two or more civilizations meeting in the middle. This raises the question of how to determine which cultural practices belong to a certain community and what kinds of cultural artifacts may be possessed by whom and under what circumstances (Matthes, 2019). Works of art that appropriate a topic or piece of substance are not always lacking in quality because of this. In order for their work to be visually pleasing, artists need be well-versed in the tools at their disposal.
Even while cultural appropriation is often seen as immoral, it may be defended if it is done appropriately. No one owns the public audience, hence the claim that artists may steal it by appropriating other cultures is false. Young (2010), argues that the greater threat to a culture comes from its own people engaging in considerable borrowing from other cultures rather than the reverse. Cultural appropriation might be justifiable when the minority culture is benefitting from the appropriation. Appropriating elements of other cultures may help one learn about and value them. According to Kamila Shamsie, the culture of her country Pakistan should be promoted more in western media and not less (Young & Brunk, 2012). She claims this is the only way to ensure that their experiences are not lost to time. Therefore, in this instance, cultural appropriation serves as a method of cultural preservation.
In certain situations, it is impossible to defend or justify cultural appropriation. An example is white singers adopting black models in their acts such as the case of Bruno Mars and Justine Bieber pretending to Black culture (Desk, 2021: Zaru, 2018). Many individuals find it distasteful even when artists employ blackface out of respect rather than racism. “Black face” started almost 200 years ago and was insulting then as it is now due to the warped physical characteristics and culture of black people. Black people were also characterized as cowardly, lazy, hypersexual, and stupid. The performances primarily served to mock African Americans for the enjoyment of white audiences. The first instance circumstance where cultural appropriation is undesirable is when the artist misrepresents the culture that they are representing. There has always been tension between white Americans and African-Americans. The white Americans have been constantly drawn to Black music but reject black cultures (Matthes, 2019). It is wrong to misrepresent a culture, whether intentionally or unintentionally, since doing so may be very disrespectful to people of that culture.
It is wrong to misrepresent a culture, whether intentionally or unintentionally, since doing so may be very disrespectful to people of that culture. It is not appropriate to make fun of people of a certain cultural background by making jokes about their customs or clothing. An artist’s decision to create a piece of art featuring a lady wearing a headscarf in a public place would be very offensive (Young & Brunk, 2012). Such an act would be repugnant to all Muslims. Taking from a culture that is not dominant and selling it off as your own is immoral. For instance, black musicians created rock and roll but were never given credit for it by shady record label executives who favored white performers.
The factors that make certain forms of cultural appropriation more acceptable than others are not easy to isolate. The first is that every civilization has its own culture. Cultural exchange and borrowing have been going on since ancient times, due to the development of trade networks and proximity between different communities. Using this reasoning, determining whether “borrowing” a culture is appropriate or not becomes murky. It has become more difficult to identify cultural appropriation as a result of globalization (Merry, 2008). Hip-hop, which was created and popularized by African-Americans, has been ingrained in the youth culture of numerous nations. One such justification is that nobody has exclusive rights over cultural expressions. Just for the like of Bruno Mars, there is no one who has a right to deny him rebranding himself as a Black (Zaru, 2018). Therefore, no one has the right to tell another person what they may and cannot eat, say, say, or wear. Since cultural appropriation is essential to modern life, defining its boundaries may be difficult. Incorporating elements from other civilizations has helped advance humanity’s level of civilization.
Society as a whole decides whether or not cultural appropriation is acceptable. In the court of law, there are no consequences for appropriating another culture. The burden of deciding whether cultural appropriation is appropriate falls on members of non-dominant cultures. The misuse or misappropriation of their culture has the greatest impact on them. Because they are the ones engaging in the cultural appropriation, people of the dominant culture have no business judging whether or not it is appropriate (Matthes, 2016). The repercussion of this is that the minority culture will adhere more strictly to some cultural traditions than to others, depending on the relevance of those activities.
In conclusion, cultural appropriation may be permitted when the artist has conducted adequate study and is able to reflect the minority culture in the proper manner. It is not sufficient to declare that one is not acquainted with the importance of a specific cultural practice, and so may be excused from their actions of cultural appropriation. Conducting sufficient research helps to prevent insulting the people of the minority culture due to ignorance. If a culture is authentically portrayed and no malicious intent is present, then cultural appropriation might be regarded acceptable (Thompson, 2015). It is easy for an artist to offend members of a minority group by misrepresenting parts of their culture that are considered holy and vital. It is, thus, vital that the artist ensures their work is neither insulting or damaging, or otherwise meant to be. Artists should be knowledgeable and have familiarity with the required skills needed to apply aesthetically attractive material.
References
Desk, L. (2021). Justin Bieber debuts cropped hair after being accused of cultural appropriation. https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/justin-bieber-debuts-cropped-hair-after-being-accused-of-cultural-appropriation-7331022/?fbclid=IwAR1Tij4R_Tmie0Djnlv_kyJs9F_XT6CUjUn7OHWqOBg6nR24zSlghcy_9zY
Matthes, E. H. (2016). Cultural appropriation without cultural essentialism?. Social theory and practice, 42(2), 343-366. https://www.pdcnet.org/soctheorpract/content/soctheorpract_2016_0042_0002_0343_0366
Matthes, E. H. (2019). Cultural appropriation and oppression. Philosophical Studies, 176(4), 1003-1013. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11098-018-1224-2
Merry, S. E. (2008). Law, culture, and cultural appropriation. Yale JL & Human., 10, 575. https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/yallh10§ion=28
Rogers, R. A. (2016). From cultural exchange to transculturation: A review and reconceptualization of cultural appropriation. Communication theory, 16(4), 474-503. https://academic.oup.com/ct/article-abstract/16/4/474/4098676
Thompson, S. (2015). Exploitation, cultural appropriation, and degradation. The Wiley Blackwell encyclopedia of race, ethnicity, and nationalism, 1-3. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781118663202.wberen694
Young, J. O. (2010). Cultural appropriation and the arts. John Wiley & Sons. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=oxyOsvs4Zw0C&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=cultural+appropriation&ots=kxcNQtzYIY&sig=ONCLApESA-O7asx2Ch6h-Y6WSg4
Young, J. O., & Brunk, C. G. (Eds.). (2012). The ethics of cultural appropriation. John Wiley & Sons. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=2dGY1Iy3K0EC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=cultural+appropriation&ots=Yq0t07ZhPM&sig=Xb2uamd4iNaUtiOH0Ngp5NiACW8
Zaru, D. (2018). After Bruno Mars is accused of cultural appropriation, black celebrities come to his defense. Get Political. https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/12/entertainment/bruno-mars-cultural-appropriation-reaction-trnd
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