Culture Shock: Getting to the bottom of cultural appropriation
Cultural appropriation.
Those two words are enough to send the masses into furious debate. But what is cultural appropriation, and how is it really affecting us?
The Oxford Dictionary defines cultural appropriation as “the taking over of creative or artistic forms, themes, or practices by one cultural group from another.” To understand this, we have to understand the difference between heritage and culture. Culture is “the beliefs, customs, or arts of a particular society, group, place, or time” while heritage is “something transmitted by or acquired from a predecessor” or “the traditions, achievements or beliefs that are part of the history of a group or nation.”
John Bodly, in “Cultural Anthropology: Tribes, States, and the Global System,” explains that “Culture is learned, not biologically inherited, and involves arbitrarily assigned, symbolic meanings.” This means that while culture can be influenced by heritage, your culture fluctuates in ways that your heritage cannot.
But if culture is always changing, how do you know what is or is not appropriation?
Darius Sudayi, junior sociology and business major, was born and raised in Tanzania, where he was a minister, and has been in America for three years. He agrees that culture is always changing. “Heritage is what you inherit from your grandfather and your father. Culture changes. Heritage doesn’t,” he said.
Lee, a senior accounting major, explains that as a first generation Cambodian-American, his culture fluctuates daily. “At home we hardly speak English and we eat mostly Asian food. Outside of my house I speak mostly English and eat American food.”
Shawn Padonu, a communications senior, believes that “religious or sacred practices” are things that shouldn’t be appropriated, while “everything else is up for grabs.” Lyric Mitchell, junior English major, believes “traditional dress” can be appropriated. Victoria Mulneix believes that “food from different cultures” can be appropriated too.
It’s easiest to understand appropriation by listening to people from those different cultures. Leah Vahjen, a senior English major who defines herself as white in heritage but Irish Catholic in culture, calls out the American tradition of St. Patrick's Day as a massive appropriation of her culture. Vahjen explains that “St. Patrick’s Day is a religious holiday for Irish people. We go to Mass and worship on this day and even though we do drink on this day, it’s like Lent for us.”
Vahjen hates how Americans portray Irish people on St. Patrick’s Day and said “Americans just get rip roaring drunk and wear shirts that say ‘Kiss me I’m Irish’ which makes Irish people seem like drunkards and sluts.” She is most offended that “People don’t care to learn about it. They don’t recognize the sanctity of the holiday or its origins. When you don’t want to be educated about what you’re celebrating and do it just to do it, then that is appropriation.”
Saravinder Pannu, exchange student and communications major from New Zealand, explains “There was an American college football team that used to do the haka (a traditional Maori war cry) that our rugby team did before their matches. Although I appreciated the thought, it sort of brought disrespect to the haka because it wasn’t fully taught and they didn’t really understand what they were doing.”
Is it cultural appropriation for non-Maori individuals in New Zealand to participate in their cultural customs? Although some might think so, Dr. Neal McCrillis, the director of the Center for International Education, explains that there’s a difference between cultural exchange and cultural appropriation.
He believes “It is inevitable that cultural exchange will happen. When you engage with a culture that is not your own you will always take on some elements of that culture, especially to be successful in that culture.” How people identify differences in culture also depends on where you are in the world. “A large part of culture is how people choose to identify you. In America I am white and you are black. If you went to Europe you would simply be considered American,” said McCrillis.
Personal identification also plays a big role. “I don’t identify with black culture because what does that even mean? I didn’t know there was such a thing as black culture until we moved to Pittsburgh,” said Mitchell, who describes herself as black.
Mitchell grew up on different military bases. She was born on-base in Wales and lived on a base in Italy for three years and in Korea for two years. “In my childhood I lived in different countries and each household on the base had their own culture. That was it. There was no one, defined experience for any family or person.”
Whether or not you are appropriating a culture can depend on the views of that culture. For Pannu, it’s not appropriation to perform the Haka in New Zealand because New Zealanders grow up learning Maori culture.
Sudayi, however, is offended when people who adopt things from his Tanzanian culture without understanding it. He explained, “What people think of me or the customs of my country without asking are rude. They assume a lot of things that are not true about my culture and then call me sexist because I believe women should do things that Americans do not agree with. But they don’t want to listen to the customs or rituals behind it, so what can I do?”
But do people who share the same heritage have the right to those cultures even if they’ve never experienced them?
Mitchell and Sudayi believe that you can learn about cultures in your heritage but you cannot claim them as your own. Sudayi said “Culture is the way of life for people. You cannot claim it if you are not from it. The way you live defines your culture. My culture in Tanzania is different than my culture here in America.”
“Part of my heritage is Creole, but that doesn’t mean I have the right to go around claiming it is my culture,” said Mitchell.
Padonu disagrees, identifying as African-American, which he distinguishes from black American, because his father is Nigerian and his mother is a black American. “I used to be embarrassed of my culture. I wanted to be 100 percent American. My full name is Shawn Kolawole Padonu but I would lie and say my name was Shawn Kevin Robinson,” explained Padonu.
His feelings changed drastically as he aged. “The older I got and the more relatives I met from Nigeria the more I regretted not learning about that culture. I had uncles and aunts who spoke fluent Yerba and expected me to know it but I didn’t. I started making an effort to learn more about my culture so that I could become closer to my heritage.”
Mulneix, who is half Korean, shares a similar experience, and said that “I had some Korean traditions growing up but not a lot. My mother never taught me Korean. I asked her why and she said she was afraid I’d be bullied.”
Lee believes that “…You can lay claim to the culture but only if you can genuinely establish your credibility. You can’t claim it just because you think it’s cool, you have to actually learn about it.” Vahjen said “Be honest about your culture. Define it for yourself. If you want to get to know your lineage then do it but don’t claim it if you don’t know anything about it.”
They do, however, all agree on one thing: Culture is different for everyone and you cannot assume what someone’s culture is just by looking at them. Mitchell explained “If we are both black and you are Muslim and I am not then we already don’t share the same culture. White people in the Hamptons do not share the same culture as white people in trailer parks.”
Sudayi agrees.“We can learn a lot from different cultures if we understand it and don’t just take it. Understanding context helps. Not all appropriation is bad. Mavi ya kale hayanuki, which means not all poop stinks, not all things are just as bad as each other.”
If we go around accusing every person we see of appropriation without truly trying to understand who they are as people, we take an enormous risk. We have to be willing to learn from and teach each other before we decide if someone is in the wrong.
