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The impact of western imperialism on india
Perspectives of cultural appropriation
The impact of western imperialism on india
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Cultural appropriation, as described in Sabeen Sandhu’s article “Instant Karma: The Commercialization of Asian Indian Culture,” is not new. Rather, it is the latest iteration in a long history of Western imperialism and exploitation of other cultures and societies. Using a primarily a symbolic interactionist lens, in her article Sandhu highlights two fundamental aspects of appropriation that differentiate the phenomenon from appreciation: the focus solely on one facet of a symbol and commercialization. Symbols, by definition, have meaning that is established and changed by interaction through the cycle of meaning. This meaning, then, is multifaceted and complex with a rich history of culture and tradition behind it. However, in cultural …show more content…
Traditionally a religious symbol worn by women at Hindu ceremonies, the bhindi has become a temporary piece of jewelry worn to make a fashion statement (Sandhu 81). The perceived front-stage presentation of the bhindi as adornment has been taken out of its religious and cultural context in South Asia and placed into the context of Western society. Western culture, in contrast with South Asian traditional culture, has a focus on instant gratification and temporariness. This dramatic difference in cultural context drastically shifts the symbolic meaning of the bhindi, undermining its deep significance to Asian Indian …show more content…
Even though Asian Indian culture has been commodified and accepted in its white-washed form, it is not as readily accepted in its original Indian context. A participant in Sandhu’s study articulated this idea: “It’s one thing when an American person wears a bhindi and stuff, but when my mom does it people stare and whisper. In general, when people wear it for a religious statement they get stared at, but for a fashion statement it’s okay” (Sudha 86). Mainstream white culture can benefit from the commercialization of bhindis, mehndi, and yoga, among other symbols of Asian Indian culture, yet Asian Indians are disadvantaged by the same
At the heart of Desi Hoop Dreams lies an interpretation based upon how important intersectional processes are in the making of identities. Three specific intersectional identities deserve emphasis in making this argument from racism, masculinity, and discrimination. These identities can create a tough environment for people trying to fit in with different cultures and backgrounds. In Desi Hoop Dreams, characters Sanjeet and Krush show the difficulties of trying to fit into Atlanta, Georgia with a South Asian background.
In our current generation, the year 2016, one may think racism would be diminished but it has yet to be acknowledged. Most people would have thought discrimination ended with the time of slavery, but it continues to exist in indirect ways. When people think Native Americans, they think about how they were the true Americans and how they aided Columbus’s settlement into the Early Americas. Native Americans experience discrimination to this day, yet nothing has been said about the Indian’s existence and rights. In Kimberly Roppolo’s essay, “Symbolism, Racism, History, and Reality: The Real Problem with Indian Mascots,” constructs the reason and gives us an idea on why this type of racism still exists and why people continue to unknowingly discriminate
Symbols hold substantial power. When many people see a Nike swoosh, it automatically triggers “Just do it” in their brain. For some, seeing the golden arches of McDonald’s makes them salivate and suddenly long for a Big Mac with salty, crispy fries. Symbols are prevalent in advertising because companies know customers associate visual objects with products, resulting in purchases. Many people are visual, giving images lucrative power. Symbols have a way of manipulating people to purchase products, believe in the slogans they represent, and provide courage and strength in knowing others are uniting behind the symbol too. Symbols influence people, and the swastika is an example of one that will forever invoke emotion in people as it is deeply rooted in our world’s history.
Percival Everett’s “The Appropriation of Cultures” (2004), demonstrates the power of a symbol and the meanings that it can carry. In the story, Daniel Barkley is a highly accomplished African American man who graduated from Brown and frequently plays guitar near the campus of The University of South Carolina. From the beginning of the story, Barkley exposes a distinct independent personality that isn’t afraid to break stereotypes or labels. The first scene describes an instance in a bar where white fraternity boys were challenging Barkley to play ‘Dixie’ for them. Instead of refusing, like most would have done, he instead begins to play and take ownership of the song. Later in the story, Barkley decides to purchase a truck with a giant confederate flag decal in the back. Despite the strange stares and confusion
Dubey,A.P. (2008). Modernity and the problem of cultural identity. New Delhi: Northern Book Centre Publications
In African American Studies/Literature I walked in thinking that I could be told nothing about African American culture or history because I’m African American. In some ways I knew that racism existed but I learned how it has been subtle in control the way we think. We have learned that colonization has not ended and that in many ways we are still being oppressed. In this paper I’m going to show how African American has used hip hop and black hair are two ways in which African Americans embrace their culture and fighting oppression. However, as we have review in many classes oppression is not easily escaped. So in this paper I’m going to show how cultural appropriation is used as a way of oppressing black culture. So this paper will be an expansion of what we have learned in the
“Cultural appropriation refers to picking and choosing elements of a culture by a member of another culture without permission” (O’Reilly). For example, white people steal certain parts of African American culture. They exploit it, misuse it, and whitewash it. “Exploiting a culture deprives the culture of the credit they rightfully
Many practices within diverse cultures are familiar, leading us to the realization that even though people have different beliefs and different values, and come from different countries, there are also many similarities. When analyzing the various practices withing diverse cultures, you begin to see the likeness of a society that reflects your own customs. Through out The Namesake, symbolic meaning contributes to the overall message of being able to establish an identity and embrace the identity of others.
Perterson, L.K., & Cullen, Cheryl. 2000. “Hindu symbolism and colour meanings dominate Indian culture and society,” in Global Graphics: Gloucester, Massachusetts:Rockpoint Publishers, pp.175-176.
This also brings up the questions of: Can cultural appropriation be defined and can it be avoided? With the new fads of Chinese character tattoo's, Hindu god t-shirts, and the selling of such things as Native sweat lodge kits and ceremonies, does this not show that North Americans can appreciate other cultures and that western culture has become a product of a multicultural society.1 Through examples of film and art, sports, and religion, I will answer the following questions and specifically how cultural appropriation has affected North American First Nation peoples. There is much confusion when it comes to the meaning of cultural appropriation. The literal meaning begins with Culture-Anthropological: the sum total of the attainments and learned behaviour patterns of any specific period, race or people; Appropriation's meaning is to take for one's own use.[2] Most people today then know cultural appropriation then as "to take someone else's culture to use for your own purpose".2 I believe that the argument is not that appropriation is "stealing", as some people claim, but that it does matter how a person goes about putting to use the knowledge
The next reason we’ll be looking at are the stereotypical images commonly seen in literature and mascots. Mainstream media such as “Dances with Wolves”, “The Lone Ranger”, and “The Last of The Mohicans” and mascots in professional sports teams like Washington Redskins, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Blackhawks all include representations of Native Americans that for some, are offensive. With this in mind, ...
Religious symbols are aspects of all different religions that strengthen faith, promote certain beliefs, and represent the fundamentals of that specific religion. According to Furst’s article on the use of physical religious symbols, “As beings that are both body and spirit, humans use symbols in order to perceive and to grasp realities that are not empirical. As social beings, humans use symbols to communicate with others,” (p 2). But, there are many issues that arise when these symbols are involved and existing in the media, the state, our government, and the public. Mainly this is because symbols are truly powerful and represent controversies that come along with different religions. Furst also states that, “symbols play a powerful role in the transmission of the culture of human society,” (p 2). If religious symbols transmit culture into society, then people in our society are going to pay very close attention to what symbols are present...
In the introduction to “The Pure Products Go Crazy,” James Clifford offers a poem by William Carlos Williams about a housekeeper of his named Elsie. This girl is of mixed blood, with a divided common ancestry, and no real collective roots to trace. Williams begins to make the observation that this is the direction that the world is moving in, as Clifford puts it—“an inevitable momentum.” Clifford believes in that, “in an interconnected world, one is always to varying degrees, ‘inauthentic.’” In making this statement, Clifford is perhaps only partially accurate. In the western hemisphere, where Williams was located, perhaps it can be said directly that the influence of modern society has attributed to the lack of general ancestry, as one culture after another has blended with the next. Perhaps it can be said as well that, as Clifford puts it, “there seem no distant places left on the planet where the presence of ‘modern’ products, media, and power cannot be felt” (Clifford, 14). The intention of this paper is to contend first that there is essentially such a thing as “pure” culture, and contrary to Clifford’s belief, that there are “pure” unblended cultures that remain (while not altogether untouched by foreign influence), natural within themselves. It will be argued as well that the influence of modern society does not necessarily lead to a loss of cultural soundness itself, but rather that a presence of certain cultural practices within the respective cultures has attributed to the lasting “purity” of certain cultures. In this case, we will be discussing the cultures that exist in Haiti and Bali.
...ame time casts a leery eye towards the use of images to facilitate this process. However, by exposing the means of appropriation Genet allows leeway for re-appropriation, a way for subcultures to assert their own self-representation. This leads to a kind of cultural barter or negotiation between subculture and dominant culture; the methods of this barter must therefore become the primary concern of subcultures.
Cultural Appropriation is when one’s culture takes another’s principles of their culture as their own (Welsh 2002: 21). There have been many disputes, whether if this is ethical or not. Cultural appropriation is something that is not recognized in everyday situations (Osteroff 2017). Certain trends nowadays from different cultures are shared with other cultures (Bolam 2017). It is as if it is a norm; especially in western culture, where people live in a multi-cultural society without noticing it. The effects of oppression and social structures is what forms cultural appropriation in society.