Cultural Appropriation has been one of the biggest controversial discussed over time. Many reasons are due to the fact of not knowing the true meaning behind the term. Scafidi, the Autor of “Who Owns Culture,” defends this term as follows. “Cultural appropriation is the adoption or the of icons, rituals, aesthetic standards, and behavior from one culture or subculture by another” (Scafidi, 2005). The key to the analysis of the concept of cultural appropriation is the identification of the various forms that appropriation can take. This study will provide an insightful look at understanding how and why it is important to learn about cultural Appropriationappropriation. It aims to get an overall sense of how the topic is discussed on social media– such as Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube–#culturalappropriation and different people’s views of what is considered Appropriationappropriation.
Understanding the Profound offense of Cultural Appropriation—also phrased as cultural misappropriation–This often can often lead to misconnection and miss understanding of a group of minorities. The topic of Cultural Appropriation is very complex, and it is hard for people who grew up in homogeneous communities to fully understand the complexity. That being said, many often time get misconstrued as to what is or can consider to be appropriating one’s culture without being overly Sensitive. Why is it important to understand cultural appropriation? With a few arguments online, many people do not know where they stand with such controversial questions. Can the role be reversed- can a minority appropriate a dominant Culture? Will it be considered for a Minority to Appropriate another Minority Culture? What is Cultural Appropriation?
Cultural appropriation is also inescapably intertwined with cultural politics. It is involved in the assimilation and exploitation of marginalized and colonized cultures and in the survival of subordinated cultures and their resistance to dominant cultures (Rogers, 2006). It might plausibly be thought to include occurrences as varied as the representation of cultural practices or experiences by cultural outsiders. Cultural Appropriation can seem morally problematic when the abstract schemas above are filled in with details from actual events. Many we often find misrepresentation, misuse, and theft of the stories, styles, and material heritage of people who have been historically dominated and remain socially marginalized.
Some may argue that instead of “appropriation” of one’s culture, it is “appreciation” of that culture. There is always a thin line from appreciating a culture to appropriating, which often happens a plethora of times. Bruce H. Ziff explained in their Book called Borrowed Power, “When concern about cultural appropriation arises within various domains, which several claims tend to emerge” (Ziff, 1997). One in which it can damage an appropriate community. The person who is committing the act may not be intentionally appropriating one’s culture to adopt as its own but to show a common interest in that culture. With much interpretation of the Term Cultural appropriation, each of the definitions gave a perfect understanding and the background as to what it truly represents.
Bruce H Ziff explains the variation of how one can appropriate another culture. It goes in dept to describe different kinds and variations of apportions. Without putting unnecessary blames. As for Richard A. Rogers, as he wrote From “Cultural Exchange to Transculturation,” he took the approach of breaking down the term and categorizing it into different perspectives.
Cultural exchange: One of the reasons that cultural Appropriationappropriation is a hard concept to grasp for so many is that Westerners are used to pressing their own culture onto others and taking what they want in return. “Cultural exchange involves the reciprocal exchange of symbols, artifacts, genres, rituals, or technologies between cultures with symmetrical power” (Rogers, 2006). People fail to realize that cultural exchange is not an exchange of pressuring your neighbors to adopt your ideals while stealing their family heirlooms. It is the process of both mutual parties having a say in sharing their own culture and giving them knowledge about their belief or item they hold sacred.
Cultural exploitation: Entertainment and Fashion Industry: Cultural artifacts, traditions, and fashion has been central to the expression of individuals and societies for as long as society has existed. Fashion, as defined by Brannon and Divita, is a “style that is popular in the present or a set of trends that have been accepted by a wide audience” (Brannon, 2015). For fashion, certain fabrics, designs, and accessories have become essential to forming cultural identities and continuing cultural traditions. In today’s fashion industry, taking inspiration from other cultures’ designs and intricacy has become a norm. It is very common for fashion designers such as Marc Jacobs—dreadlock incident—and celebrities brought forth questions of appropriation of culture.
There is one underlying question can a minority—Black, Natives, or indigenous people—ever appropriate a culture that is Soupier? Cultural Appropriationappropriation is a product of “white” privilege and oppression. It is deemed upon for people of color to express their culture without being punished. This is displayed as Systemic Racism. “White people have power and privilege in this society, while People of Color are systematically denied power and privilege in this society” (2011). Therefore, this term will not work the other way around if the role is reversed. Trying to Fit into society finds it very troublesome, for example, for Black people to do. Many blacks were forced to tame their wild afros, which held such liberal significance throughout the civil rights movement, and instead, get relaxers.
With issues concerning hair—box brides, cornrows, Bantu Knots, Afro’s—throughout the years, it is difficult to finally expect these styles. While a white person appropriates those things, it’s a slap in the face. Black Face: In American origins, black faces can be traced back to minstrel shows. In the mid to late nineteenth century, white actors would routinely use black grease paint on their faces when depicting plantation slaves and free blacks on stage. Its formation in the early 1800s represents “the first formal public acknowledgment by whites of black culture” (Lott, 1992). As though these shows do not happen, it is still part of American history. Also viewed in a negative light.
