The Difference Between Appropriation And Cultural Appropriation

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Date The Difference between Appropriation and Cultural Appropriation The terms “appropriation” and “cultural appropriation” have been used in art and literature interchangeably, but some differences exist in their use. Appropriation occurs when a given work of art is borrowed or reused in a new work without necessarily giving credit to the author. During appropriation, originality of the work is lost, hence rendering the work devoid of originality. The new artist may claim authorship of the new work, even if it only involved reusing, modification, or rearrangement of patterns from works of other artists. Compared to appropriation, cultural appropriation has a slightly different definition, even though the meaning is related. Cultural appropriation entails the adoption of the elements of one culture into a new culture (Rowe). Vowel simplifies this definition by explaining that cultural appropriation entails taking an element from a given culture and planting it into a new culture with the goal of entertainment, commercial purpose, or academic reasons (81). Appropriation and cultural appropriation have become controversial topics, especially when it comes to authenticity and originality. This paper explains the differences between appropriation and cultural appropriation by defending the thesis that both appropriation and cultural appropriation serve the interest of humanity. Appropriation of art (borrowing works of art) from other artists is one of the ways of enriching not only the artist’s work but also the community that will benefit from the work. In most cases, art appropriators do not have malicious intentions. They are often driven by a sense of care and concern for the community. Additionally, appropriation of art often involves the improvement of the new work of art by instilling a new mood and atmosphere at work. The original artist may feel that the work has been stolen as explained by Schaumann, but what happens is that the work often retains its original meaning or gains a new meaning when improved (8). Since malicious intents do not often drive people, appropriation contributes to the welfare of both the original author and the new artist. Unlike appropriation, cultural appropriation involves taking an element from a given culture and placing it into a new culture for education purposes, preservation, or even entertainment. Cultural elements may include symbols, paintings, or historical artifacts such as archaeological evidence. Similar to the point argued in appropriation, people are also not driven by malicious intentions when appropriating culture. In most cases, there is a compelling reason, such as for academic purposes, preservation for future generations, or entertainment reasons. Cultural appropriation has faced criticism similar to the appropriation of art. While opponents of appropriation and cultural appropriation may argue that these acts and behaviors diminish the sense of originality and authenticity, it is important that one understands some advantages of encouraging these processes. Some cultures have been disadvantaged in terms of storage facilities for artistic images and symbols. The future generation may not learn about the existence of some notabl...