Heard about the case of KimOhNo, where Kim Kardashian faced backlash from the Japanese community as she announced the name of her shapewear company to be KIMONO? Or seen the slippers having Lord Ganesha’s abstract drawing imprinted on them? This is cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation is the unfit adoption of elements from one culture (say culture A) by the members of another culture (say culture B). This happens when the members of Culture A do not completely understand the significance and the meaning of the elements from Culture B. For Culture A, the element is just a piece of art or decoration and nothing more. The elements are used out of the actual cultural setting which hurts the sentiments of people belonging to Culture B. The Oppenheimer movie has also been accused of cultural appropriation for showing Bhagavad Gita in an intimate scene and not understanding that it is holy to the Hindus. There are uncountable instances out there.
Cultural appropriation can include unwanted interference with a whole range of things like cultural practices, clothing, language, rituals, jewelry, recipes, music, dance, etc.
Cultural appropriation is different from cultural exchange as it involves different communities at the same level. When the dominance of one community over another comes into play, cultural appropriation takes place. The problem with cultural appropriation is that the dominant community uses the elements differently and portrays them as something else in front of the world. And now, a larger part of society starts to believe the same, knowing nothing about the true meaning or use of the element. It also does not give the required credit or a share to the minor community when profit has been made using the elements.
Cultural Appropriation in Art
Cultural Appropriation, Cultural Appreciation
Cultural appropriation in art is quite common as a designer looks for inspiration to carry forward his/ her design. And in the process of taking the design from its inception stage to the final one, he/ she might lose the significance of the concept and the prevalent beliefs surrounding it.
There has always been a debate among critics about cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. Artists try to appreciate the other culture but get into appropriating it. Such is a case of Dana Schutz’s (an American artist) painting of an African-American 14-year-old boy’s mutilated face. Dana Schutz was accused of taking a case of racial discrimination and a brutal murder very casually and making a profit out of a black teenager’s death. To this, she replied that she only wanted to raise the issue and had sympathy with the boy’s mother, and did not intend to make a profit as the painting was not for sale. This was termed cultural appropriation, as the painter did not belong to the black community. She might have had sympathy for the boy’s mother but could not connect to the much bigger black community.
Cultural Appropriation in Design
Clothing, Jewelry
When clothing, jewelry, or other products are designed, brands often appropriate other cultures.
There are numerous examples like that of H&M creating scarves for the public inspired by the ones that are holy for the Jews. These are the scarves that are worn by Jewish people during offering prayers. Making them available to everyone to be worn at any time and place outraged the Jewish community. And of Louis Vuitton’s men’s collection inspired by the African Masai people’s design having a red and blue check pattern. The company has been accused of using the design without considering the tribal people and also of not sharing the profits earned with them.
The dilemma has always been there. Should artists not take inspiration from a culture that they do not belong to?
How will it be decided that the changes made by the artists are within limits and that they do not hurt somebody’s sentiments? If artists would not add any element of their own (changing the original context), would they be able to call the artwork their own? What if a person from the same community misrepresents the element? Is it still cultural appropriation?
Artists have the right to creatively express their ideas about how they feel about the world and to bring forward social issues. But it should be done with utmost care and sensitivity, and there should be no misrepresentation. This can only be done by fully understanding the subject first and then implying positive modifications to it.
‘When artists represent their own experience in their works, it is usually not cultural appropriation. In other words, in representing their experience, artists represent what is already theirs, so they are not appropriating or taking another’s culture for their own benefit, and they do not need to appropriate anyone else’s experience.’ (Anon, n.d.)
It is nearly impossible to design something without seeking a source of inspiration. What designers can do is consult the community about their design and can take a review of whether the design should be frowned upon or not. They should also share credits and profits with the communities.
References:
Anon, (n.d.). Excellence in Student Writing | Rhetorikos: Excellence in Student Composition. [online] Available at: https://rhetorikos.blog.fordham.edu/?p=1201.
British Vogue. (n.d.). The Kimono, The Catwalk & The Great Cultural Appropriation Debate. [online] Available at: https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/kimono-kyoto-to-catwalk-v-and-a.
Reach Out (2019). Why cultural appropriation isn’t cool. [online] Reachout.com. Available at: https://au.reachout.com/articles/why-cultural-appropriation-isnt-cool.
Wikipedia Contributors (2019). Cultural appropriation. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_appropriation.
Young, S. (2017). The Maasai are fighting back against cultural appropriation. [online] The Independent. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/maasai-people-cultural-appropriation-luxury-fashion-retailers-louis-vuitton-east-africa-intellectual-property-intiative-mipi-a7553701.html.
