cultural appropriation
Borrowing without understanding
Cultural appropriation is the adoption of elements from one culture by members of another, particularly when a dominant group borrows from a marginalized one without understanding or respect.
The term carries strong negative connotations, implying exploitation or disrespect: Critics accused the fashion designer of cultural appropriation for using Native American headdresses.
What counts as appropriation versus appreciation or exchange is contested—wearing a sombrero to a costume party, a white musician playing blues, a restaurant serving another culture's cuisine.
The concept emerged from academic discourse but now appears frequently in popular debates about race, identity, and creative ownership.
Transforming into sellable goods
- misappropriationWrongful taking of entrusted assets
- theftUnlawful taking of property
- plunderGoods seized violently
- colonialismDomination through foreign settlement
power imbalance · hegemony · dominance · privilege · erasure · extraction · profiting · exoticism
Lack of regard
- stereotypeFixed oversimplified notion
- misrepresentationFalse or misleading statement
- caricatureExaggerated comic depiction
- mockeryScornful ridicule or travesty
offense · racism · ethnocentrism · tokenism · dehumanization · othering · insensitivity · ignorance
Expression of deep respect
- tributeOffering of respect
- respectRegard with honor
- acknowledgmentConfirmation of receipt
- reverenceProfound admiring respect
celebration · admiration · honor · recognition · gratitude · credit · attribution · citation
Fitting to new conditions
- syncretismFusion of different beliefs
- hybridityMixed-origin quality
- influencePower to affect others
- borrowedTaken for temporary use
incorporation · reinterpretation · cross-pollination · imitation · co-opting · amalgamation · blending · fusion
commodification
Transforming into sellable goods
- misappropriationWrongful taking of entrusted assets
- theftUnlawful taking of property
- plunderGoods seized violently
colonialism · power imbalance · hegemony · dominance · privilege · erasure · extraction · profiting · exoticism · inequality
disrespect
Lack of regard
- stereotypeFixed oversimplified notion
- misrepresentationFalse or misleading statement
- caricatureExaggerated comic depiction
mockery · offense · racism · ethnocentrism · tokenism · dehumanization · othering · insensitivity · ignorance · trivialization
homage
Expression of deep respect
- tributeOffering of respect
- respectRegard with honor
- acknowledgmentConfirmation of receipt
reverence · celebration · admiration · honor · recognition · gratitude · credit · attribution · citation · learning
adaptation
Fitting to new conditions
- syncretismFusion of different beliefs
- hybridityMixed-origin quality
- influencePower to affect others
borrowed · incorporation · reinterpretation · cross-pollination · imitation · co-opting · amalgamation · blending · fusion · creolization
- controversiescontroversy, dispute, scandal, outcry, outrage
- political buzzwordswoke, wokeness, virtue signaling, virtue signal, dog whistle
- social changesocial progress, social norms, globalization, assimilate, integrate
- social justiceracial justice, privilege, white privilege, economic justice, equal opportunity
- representationproportional representation, diverse casting, visibility, representation matters, marginalized voices
- music culturefandom, fandoms, music taste, live music, fan communities
cultural appropriationcultural preservation
Protecting community traditions and artifacts
cultural isolation · cultural authenticity · cultural nationalism
culture, cultural, multicultural, culturally, subculture, appropriation, acculturation, multiculturalism, intercultural