Do you really know? What is cultural appropriation?
Mar 26, 2026
A brisk look at how cultural borrowing can cross the line into harm. Covers historical roots and early critiques of appropriation. Highlights flashpoints in music, fashion and celebrity moments. Explores the difference between one-way appropriation and respectful exchange, and suggests collaboration and credit as better approaches.
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Pop Stars Trigger Appropriation Debates
- Cultural appropriation often involves dominant-group artists using elements from minority cultures for profit or style.
- Joseph Chance cites Katy Perry, Madonna, and Adele as pop-cultural examples that sparked controversy when borrowing non-Western traditions.
One Way Cultural Taking Shapes The Term
- The term gained negative connotations as its meaning evolved to flag one-way cultural taking by dominant groups from oppressed peoples.
- Joseph Chance notes the problem is when cultural elements are used for artistic or commercial benefit without consent.
1976 Essay Framed Cultural Appropriation Roots
- Kenneth Coutts-Smith's 1976 essay linked class appropriation and cultural colonialism as early analysis of the phenomenon.
- Joseph Chance notes Coutts-Smith didn't use the exact phrase but framed the historical roots of appropriation debates.