Cultural Appreciation v. Cultural Appropriation
What’s the difference?
Cultural appropriation: the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture
As we’ve explored various elements and levels of culture and are continuing on the journey of developing cultural competence, it’s important to talk about the differences between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation. If we’re not cognizant, we might mistake one for the other, and the impacts of each are vastly different.
One of the goals of cultural competency is to not only appreciate cultures different from our own but to value them. An important part of valuing elements of culture is understanding their context within the levels of culture that we’ve discussed in previous essays. “Plucking” an element of surface culture out of its rootedness in shallow & deep culture and “pasting” it into the deeper cultural values of the dominant culture leads to distortion and becomes appropriation. This distortion causes harm, most notably to the members of that specific culture, and often reinforces damaging stereotypes.1
When teaching about various cultures, it is vital that the cultural elements we present be honoring and contextual.
It’s important to know the historical background and/or cultural significance of what we’re sharing, and to be intentional about including it in what we teach. In doing so, make sure to give proper attribution to the origins.
As much as possible, partner with members of the particular community. As Ray Yang writes, “there is no replacement for someone’s lived experience.” A common issue with appropriation is using aspects of a culture without consent from members of that culture. Not only does partnership ensure accurate background and context, the authentic relationship in true partnership communicates value and honor.
While cultural appropriation can take many different forms, two common ways that it happens, particularly in schools, are through art projects and costumes.
For art projects, be sure to teach background and context. Ray Yang fleshes out cultural appropriation in art instruction more specifically in this article - Cultural Appropriation: What’s An Educator’s Role?
For costumes, it’s important to remember that a culture is not a costume. We want everyone to have a fun time dressing in costumes. When cultures are appropriated as costumes, it objectifies the culture and sends a harmful message to members of that community.
Photo by Josh Eckstein on Unsplash
Again, context is key. Understanding the elements of culture rooted to the tree as a whole will demonstrate the value of the culture more holistically.
What are other ways to ensure cultural appreciation and avoid cultural appropriation?
I’m excited for us to be able to learn from each other as I share what I’ve learned. It’s important that sharing and learning be welcoming and inclusive.
Expectations for comments:
Be curious
Be kind
In case you missed it - some recent essays from Cultivating Justice:
