“Western appropriation of Indic culture and why it matters”, First Post, July 27, 2023:
“Cultural appropriation causes harm. It is an extension of racism and colonial oppression. It treats all aspects of marginalised cultures as free for the taking. It’s quite short of skin colour. It’s a power dynamic. Appropriation allows a dominant culture to profit from a non-dominant culture. Then the dominant culture takes credit for the aspects of the non-dominant culture they’ve taken from, which reinforces the imbalance of power between the two groups. That’s historically how appropriation tends to work the way it does. Through pure deception.
Nonrecognition and misrecognition through appropriation and misappropriation create a hostile environment, wherein cultural groups are silenced, made invisible and subject to stereotypes and bigoted false narratives. It is limiting and harmful to the people whose culture has been appropriated. It affects their well-being, their financial status, their self-esteem, and their cultural integrity.
When a majority or dominant monoculture steals customs, practices, sciences, and ideologies from people of a foreign minority culture, it has negative trans-generational social, economic and psychological effects……”
Read the full article at Firstpost.com
