"Cultural appropriation is the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. This can be especially controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from minority cultures."
How do issues of power and privilege shape cultural appropriation? Who benefits from cultural exchange, and who is disadvantaged?.
Intersectionality: The concept that individuals hold a combination of identities, and the intersections of these identities can lead to unique forms of oppression or privilege.
Social Stratification: The hierarchical organization of society based on social status, such as race, gender, class, and education level.
White Privilege: The societal and cultural advantages that are afforded to White individuals, often at the expense of individuals from marginalized communities.
Cultural Appropriation: The act of adopting cultural elements of one culture by another, often without understanding or respecting their significance.
Systemic Racism: The societal structures, policies, and practices that perpetuate racial inequality.
Microaggressions: Subtle, often unintentional acts of discrimination that communicate demeaning or hostile messages to individuals from marginalized communities.
Allyship: The practice of actively working to challenge systems of oppression and support marginalized individuals.
Implicit Bias: Unconscious attitudes, beliefs, and stereotypes that can impact one's actions and decisions.
Heteronormativity: The assumption that heterosexuality is the norm and therefore, any other sexual or gender identity is abnormal.
Colorism: The discrimination or prejudice against individuals with darker skin tones, often within the same ethnic or racial community.
Stereotyping: The oversimplified and often inaccurate assumptions made about individuals based on their group identity.
Ableism: Discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities, based on the belief that those with disabilities are inferior to those without disabilities.
Transphobia: The fear, hatred, or discrimination against transgender individuals, based on their gender identity or expression.
Misogyny: The hatred, contempt, or prejudice against women or girls, rooted in the belief that men are superior.
Whiteness: The concept that White individuals are the standard for human beings, and any deviation from this norm is seen as deviant.
Intersectional Feminism: The feminist movement that acknowledges and addresses the intersectionality of various forms of oppression and aims to challenge them collectively.
Decolonization: The process of challenging and dismantling the historic power dynamics created by colonialism, particularly in relation to Indigenous peoples.
Cultural Competence: The ability to understand, appreciate, and effectively work with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
Social Justice: A movement that aims to advocate for fairness and equity in social, economic, and political systems.
Privilege Walk: An experiential exercise that allows individuals to explore their privilege and the ways in which it may influence their life experiences.
"Cultural appropriation differs from acculturation, assimilation, or equal cultural exchange in that this appropriation is a form of colonialism."
"Cultural appropriation is considered harmful by various groups and individuals, including Indigenous people working for cultural preservation, those who advocate for collective intellectual property rights of the originating, minority cultures, and those who have lived or are living under colonial rule."
"Cultural appropriation can include exploitation of another culture's religious and cultural traditions, dance steps, fashion, symbols, language, and music."
"Those who see this appropriation as exploitative state that cultural elements are lost or distorted when they are removed from their originating cultural contexts, and that such displays are disrespectful or even a form of desecration."
"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'."
"The 'fetishising' of cultures, in fact, alienates those whose culture is being appropriated."
"Critics note that the concept is often misunderstood or misapplied by the general public, and that charges of 'cultural appropriation' are at times misapplied to situations such as trying food from a different culture or learning about different cultures."
"Others state that the act of cultural appropriation as it is usually defined does not meaningfully constitute social harm, or the term lacks conceptual coherence."
"Additionally, the term can set arbitrary limits on intellectual freedom, artists' self-expression..."
"Furthermore, the term can reinforce group divisions, or promote a feeling of enmity or grievance rather than of liberation." Note: As the paragraph does not contain 20 distinct study questions, some questions may require additional reflection or expanding upon the given information.