The Concoction of Cultural Appropriation _ {Reflections Redeemed}

 

Pic featuring Palestinian kufyia 

Aside from the formal or academic terminologies surrounding cultural appropriation, the concept can be reduced to cultural disputes over the authenticity of specific items, beliefs, or even events.

These are acts or practices that do not follow standardized mechanisms. Cultural appropriation could be viewed as a form of cultural acquisition—a process of re-identifying the cultural subject.

Culture is deeply tied to identity, from the personal to the public, the national to the international, and the individual to the collective. Much confusion or disorientation can arise from disconnection with certain cultural aspects, especially within social contexts.

One form of this disconnection is oblivion or forgetfulness, which can be manipulated on a larger scale. However, appropriation itself is an intentional and systematic process carried out by one party to claim ownership of the tangible or intangible cultural products or byproducts of another. It is a violation of cultural significance and meaning in favor of a particular group. This process often results in the deprivation of values, meanings, or even emotions tied to those cultural elements. Such systematic acts may be either conscious or unconscious, particularly when there is a lack of awareness about their implications.

The result is cultural disputes and disagreements, which may surface in everyday life or escalate to high-level discussions seeking resolution.

These acts of appropriation can be viewed from various perspectives. However, understanding these perspectives can be an exhausting endeavor—sometimes futile, other times fruitful. Both parties often seek association with cultural symbols, albeit for different intentions, motives, or purposes. In some cases, it is the complex nature of the cultural subject itself. In others, it may be an intentional transgression against specific cultural values.

Cultural appropriation involves engagement with symbolic meaning. Some may perceive it as trivial, but others will disagree—if it were truly insignificant, the disputes would not arise in the first place.

Common examples of cultural appropriation can be seen in food, fashion, literature, and music.

Other representations of cultural significance may articulate essential components of cultural identity