Art is created from the transmission of influences, through mixed feelings and also through imitation. The problem lies in the distinction between this way of creating and the notion of copying, theft or plagiarism, but what is cultural appropriation?
At this stage, copyright can be diluted into collective identities, leading to traditions derived from power relations, in which the strong generally benefit from the weak. This concept is what many call “cultural misappropriation. “
- Around this idea there have been a significant number of protests.
- For example.
- The presence of tattoos with Polynesian tribal motifs was popularized.
- A subject that generated controversy; however.
- Recently the use of gypsy symbols by singer Rosaly has been the subject of many reviews.
As mentioned above, cultural appropriation is the adoption of instruments, images and symbols that come from a culture that is not yours.
A question has arisen around this definition: are we really talking about misappropriation or, in most cases, is it a tribute to other cultures?
If we look more at the concept of cultural appropriation, we will see that the idea also encompasses the presence of power dynamics, that is, a dominant culture appropriates elements of cultures that have been systematically oppressed.
This concept is increasingly being debated, even if it is not something new, globalization and technological advances have allowed us to access a great deal of information with a single click, so although cultural appropriation is not a new concept, its global dimension is new But what distinguishes cultural appropriation from a tribute to culture?
The two main points for answering this question are consent and benefit-sharing. In fact, the property, especially in the musical field, generally has a clear economic interest.
In this sense, cultural appropriation would be used to refer to the exploitation by cultural industries of certain exotic symbols, an exploration that would be done without recognizing the original culture in a symbolic or economic way.
Cultural misappropriation is a complex issue. It has its origins at the confluence of all our stories and, to analyze it in depth, it is necessary to understand how the international dynamics of power work.
First, we will refer to other points of view that have developed on the subject, we mean, for example, that non-Westerns who wear jeans or natives who speak English somehow appropriate dominant cultures.
However, we must consider that marginalized groups do not have the power to decide whether or not to follow their traditional customs, so assimilation occurs when people in marginalized groups adopt dominant cultural elements to survive.
The world of music offers very clear examples of cultural appropriation, the popularization of songs with African-American roots by Elvis and the twerk (dance style), which until recently were associated with non-white groups of lower classes, are some.
We even see examples in Buddhism, a religion that has been associated with peace because of the stereotypes surrounding meditation.
Thus, cultural appropriation would be a means of marketing aspects that existed outside the margins of the market and that were introduced from a Western-white perspective, even when it takes the image of an ethnic group, is also a sign of their remoteness. groups of economic decision-making centres.
This is a problematic concept that some people deny. This happens for several reasons:
His argument focuses on one idea: cultures constantly change and have no limits, flow and change constantly, going hand in hand.
Phishing occurs when someone is deprived of taking advantage of something that was once done by someone else’s action; however, in cultural appropriation, something that was previously only used by a small group of people has become popular.
Activists can become possessive of cultures, a purity that is not characteristic of the social environment in which we develop.