About this video

• Video Title: Cultural Appropriation
• Channel: Overthink Podcast
• Speakers: Ellie Anderson, David Pena Guzman
• Duration: 59:19

Overview

This podcast episode discusses the complex topic of cultural appropriation, exploring different philosophical perspectives and real-world examples. The hosts examine the nuances between cultural appropriation and appreciation, the role of power dynamics, and the challenges in defining cultural boundaries.

Key takeaways

• Kimono Wednesday Controversy: The episode begins with a discussion of a 2015 incident at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston where a "Kimono Wednesday" event, encouraging visitors to wear kimonos and take selfies, sparked controversy and accusations of cultural appropriation.
• Two Main Arguments Against Cultural Appropriation: The discussion highlights two common arguments against cultural appropriation:
  1. Harm: This perspective focuses on how appropriating cultural elements from oppressed groups can perpetuate harmful stereotypes, erase practices, or lead to economic disenfranchisement for the originators.
  2. Symbolism: This view emphasizes that cultural appropriation is problematic when it draws attention to power imbalances and benefits the appropriator without consequence, especially when the dominant group is less constrained by respectability norms associated with those cultural elements.
• The "Intimacy" Approach: Philosophers CT Nguyen and Matthew Stoll propose an "intimacy approach," viewing cultural groups as being held together by relations of intimacy, similar to interpersonal relationships. Cultural appropriation is seen as a breach of this collective intimacy, akin to a "cultural third wheel" or misusing shared private information.
• Challenges in Defining Cultural Boundaries: The podcast highlights the difficulty in defining cultural membership and who has the authority to determine what constitutes appropriation versus appreciation, especially in a globalized and diverse society. Personal experiences and differing interpretations within families and communities are explored.
• The Role of Representation and Epistemic Injustice: The discussion touches on how cultural appropriation can lead to epistemic injustice, where the appropriator's representation of a culture can overshadow or silence the voices of those within that culture, affecting credibility and how their practices are understood.

The transcript discusses the Kimono Wednesday controversy as an example of cultural appropriation, where museum-goers were encouraged to wear kimonos and take selfies in front of a Monet painting. Protesters accused the museum of participating in cultural appropriation.

However, the transcript does not provide any information or comparison related to Mount Rushmore or the Exxon Valdez spill, nor does it categorize the Kimono Wednesday event as "indigenous cultural appropriation." The discussion focuses on the specific context of Japanese culture and the art exhibit. Therefore, I cannot answer whether it's a good example of indigenous cultural appropriation when compared to those other examples based on the provided transcript.