From Inspiration to Cultural Appropriation
Music has often been referred to as the language that has no "boundaries." It travels across countries, languages, cultures, and generations. You don't need to know how to write, read, or play music in order to enjoy it!
While music can inspire groups of people from various cultural backgrounds, it's particularly divided along racial lines in its genres, histories, and teachings. The role of appropriation in music is not always clearly defined, but we need to be able to recognize when there are problems and exploitations of cultures in music.
What is Cultural Appropriation?
Susan Scafidi, the author of Who Owns Culture? Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law, gives this definition: "Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else's culture without permission. This can include unauthorized use of another culture's dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc.”
In the article “What Does Cultural Appropriation Really Mean?” in The New York Times Style Magazine, Ligaya Mishan defines cultural appropriation as “A member of the dominant culture — an insider — taking from a culture that has historically been and is still treated as subordinate and profiting from it at that culture’s expense."
In order to better understand and illustrate the implications of this cultural appropriation and how people interpret it, some of the most controversial and well-known contemporary examples are in music.
Cultural Appropriation in Music: Is it problematic?
Iggy Azalea, "Bounce"(2013)
Izzy Azalea's song "Bounce" is a prime example of cultural appropriation. The song features a sample of the traditional Indian song “Kangna” and includes lyrics that reference Indian culture, such as “bhangra” and “bindi.” The video for the song also features Iggy Azalea wearing traditional Indian clothing and dancing in a Bollywood-style dance. I find Azela's music video “Bounce” immensely problematic because she appropriates Indian culture without actually giving proper credit or respect to Indians. By using Indian culture in her song without acknowledging its significance, Iggy Azalea is perpetuating a stereotype that Indian culture is something to be taken and used without respect or understanding. This also implies the idea that Indian culture is something that can be exoticized and commodified, rather than respected and appreciated.
Appropriation of African American Spirituals in Sports
Fisherman's Friends -"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"(2018)
Stoke City - Swing Low Sweet Chariot (2017)
My first reaction was an absolute shock after watching these videos--- which prompts me to the question: Why has "Swing Low, Swing Chariot" become a popular anthem in England sports? "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" has become a popular sporting anthem in England due to its association with the English rugby team. The song was first sung by the team’s supporters as a chant in 1988 and has since become a staple of English sporting events. While the song has become a beloved part of English culture, it is still important to remember its origins.
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" was originally composed by Wallace Willis, an enslaved African in the mid-1800s. It was a spiritual song, sung by enslaved people as a way to express their longing for freedom and hope for a better life. The lyrics of the song allude to feelings of despair and a desire for release from suffering, which is why I think it is morally wrong for predominantly white English people to sing this song for entertainment purposes. Cultural appropriations of Negro Spirituals such as "Swing Low, Swing Chariot" betrays a total lack of understanding of the historical origin in which those songs were first sung by enslaved Africans who fought for their freedom. Singing this song without understanding its history and context is a form of cultural appropriation and disrespect.
The debate over who should be able to sing culturally significant songs is a complex one. In the case of spirituals, it is important to recognize that they were created by African Americans in a time of great suffering and oppression. It is also important to recognize that spirituals are deeply rooted in African American culture and history. Therefore, we should not forget the origins of this song and the struggles of those who wrote and sang it. We should also be mindful of the implications of singing Spirtuals for entertainment purposes.
What are your thoughts about approaching cultural appropriation in music? Do you think cultural appropriation in music has become more acceptable in society nowadays?
References:
Wow, Rebecca! You put a lot of effort into this post, as it is visually appealing and an excellent example of a blog post! I especially enjoyed your description of why Izzy Azalea's "Bounce" is cultural appropriation; I often observe many east-Asian cultures exoticized in pop culture; white women often mimic Korean style and beauty standards. For example, Ariana Grande's 2021 photoshoot in which she flaunts much paler skin than usual and winged eyeliner. Of course, taking these traits separately, it is okay to have fair skin or wear winged eyeliner. However, the issue lies in the perception of the entire photo, in which it is clear Ariana is trying to mimic some Asian cultures' styles. It's upsetting to see so many female celebrities fail to put in any effort to recognize at least the history behind the styles they're mimicking and why they're essential to said culture. It's sad to hear and see Asian-American children bullied for the color of their skin or the shape of their eyes and then see white-female celebrities praised for mimicking their styles and being "different" and "unique."
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this post, especially seeing how much work you put in. I appreciate how you put multiple definitions of cultural appropriation, especially since so many people see it differently. I think it was a nice touch to let the readers start to form their own definition. Before this post, I had never heard "Bounce" and I was thoroughly shocked to see her appropriate so intensely, without any respect to Indian culture. I don't listen to Azalea very much but I have heard over the years about her problematic tendencies, but I was not expecting it to be this bad. I also had no idea "Swing Low, Swing Chariot" was sung in England at sports games! I agree that they have no place singing that song, especially if they are not teaching those watching about the true origin of the spiritual.
ReplyDelete