One who adopts specific elements of a culture by a different cultural group is one who appropriates.
You may not be familiar with the term “cultural appropriation,” but at one point or another you have come into contact with it. Oftentimes, the term has a negative connotation. Everything from wearing ethnic items of clothing to Miley Cyrus twerking at the VMAs, from Madonna using certain derogatory terms to perpetuating cultural stereotypes can fall in the realm of appropriation.
Dressing up in racially stereotypical costumes for a party is a prime example.
It might seem like fun and games, but LaKeitha Poole, Office of Multicultural Affairs African-American student affairs coordinator, said it can hinder important conversations about culture and portray people in a negative light.
“I do think there are important opportunities for students to discuss aspects of culture,” Poole said. “But we can all tell when the tone is genuine.”
When there is sincere interest in a particular culture, people recognize it. It is important to ask questions and aspire to learn as much as you can about different groups of people. In fact, this is what Poole said she hopes for all students to achieve. Unfortunately, inappropriateness can come into play.
“People pick apart culture, even within specific groups,” Poole said. “What opens the door to other opportunities to understand appropriateness is when you become the minority and can be reflective on the situation.”
As OMA cross-cultural affairs coordinator Krystie Ngyuen said, there is a necessary invitation to a culture.
From my own experiences, I wholeheartedly agree. Growing up, I was invited in to experience my friends’ cultures, such as my friend from Pakistan who dressed me in a salwar kameez, a traditional dress worn by both men and women, and brought me to family dinners where I tried regional food.
When you are invited into a personal environment and try to absorb customs outside of your comfort zone, you are in the realm of correctness. It’s when you judge certain practices without concern of offending individuals or take cultural customs out of context and frivolously use them in your day-to-life that you cross that blurred line.
Appropriation is a privilege and an assertion of power on a cultural group, Ngyuen said. By doing so, you can wrongly highlight aspects of a cultural, she added.
“We can’t claim to know everything about a culture, nor can we,” she said. “We all hold multiples roles and identities. But, we can try to represent ourselves authentically and promote a positive, inclusive climate at LSU.”
It is important to reflect on how we want to be perceived in our own culture before we potentially offend another.
Drawing the Line
By Lauren Duhon
March 30, 2014
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