Cultural appropriation

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Cultural appropriation^[1][2] is the adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity in a manner perceived as inappropriate or unacknowledged.^[3][4][5][6] This can be especially controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from minority cultures.^[7][1][8][9] When cultural elements are copied from a minority culture by members of a dominant culture, and these elements are used outside of their original cultural context – sometimes even against the expressly stated wishes of members of the originating culture – the practice is often received negatively.^{[10][11][12][13][14]} Cultural appropriation can include the exploitation of another culture's religious and cultural traditions, customs, dance steps, fashion, symbols, language, history and music.^[15]

Cultural appropriation is considered harmful by various groups and individuals,^[16] including some indigenous people working for cultural preservation,^[17][18] those who advocate for collective intellectual property rights of the originating cultures,^[19][20][21] and some of those who have lived or are living under colonial rule.^[22][23][24] According to American anthropologist Jason Jackson, cultural appropriation differs from other modes of cultural change such as acculturation, assimilation, or diffusion.^[25]

Opponents of cultural appropriation see it as an exploitative means in which cultural elements are lost or distorted when they are removed from their originating cultural contexts. Such displays are disrespectful and can even be considered a form of desecration.^[26] Cultural elements that may have deep meaning in the original culture may be reduced to "exotic" fashion or toys by those from the dominant culture.^[26][27][28] Kjerstin Johnson has written that, when this is done, the imitator, "who does not experience that oppression is able to 'play', temporarily, an 'exotic' other, without experiencing any of the daily discriminations faced by other cultures".^[28] The black American academic, musician, and journalist Greg Tate argued that appropriation and the "fetishizing" of cultures, in fact, alienate those whose culture is being appropriated.^[29]

The concept of cultural appropriation has also been subject to heavy criticism, debate, and nuance.^[30][31][32] Critics note that the concept is often misunderstood or misapplied by the general public and that charges of "cultural appropriation" are sometimes misapplied to situations. For example, some scholars conclude that trying food from a different culture or attempting to learn about a different culture can not be considered an instance of cultural appropriation.^[33][34] Others state that the act of cultural appropriation, usually defined, does not meaningfully constitute social harm or that the term lacks conceptual coherence.^[35][36] Additionally, the term can set arbitrary limits on intellectual freedom and artists' self-expression, reinforce group divisions, or promote a feeling of enmity or grievance rather than of liberation.^{[36][37][38][39][31]}