Possible Introduction Draft

In the 21st century, cultural appropriation is one of the most common issues in modern art and culture. According to the Oxford Dictionary, cultural appropriation is defined as the inappropriate use of elements of one culture by members of another and typically more dominant culture. According to Susan Scafidi, a law professor at Fordham University, cultural appropriation is “an unauthorized use or infringement of intellectual property from another culture without permission” and it may be offensive to the cultural group in question. Due to its common definition as a form of infringement, some artistic and cultural communities are opposing the practice of cultural appropriation due to several reasons.

Work Schedule

Week 8 - Additional research and starting building the essay, along with finding possible thesis statements. Introduction to be written.
Week 9 - Part 1: Examine, investigate and research on cultural appropriation in beauty, fashion or music. Case studies will be included.
Week 10 - Essay building on Part 1.
Week 11 - Part 2: Research on the negative effects of cultural appropriation and why communities are cautious or have a negative perception to this practice.
Week 12 - Essay building on Part 2.
Week 13 - Conclusion and final checking. Any points missed out in the essay will be added. Compiling the bibliography and in-text citations.
Week 14 - Submission

Cultural Appropriation: Google Scholar Research

Cultural appropriation may also include DNA tests to corroborate or discount cultural membership claims. This is because many people claim that even the human genome is a cultural product which is inherited through generations.

According to J.O. Young and C.G. Brunk (2012), there are two ways that cultural appropriation could bring a negative effect. The first way is the violation of a property right, which is often regarded as a form of infringement or plagiarism, which only occurs when the appropriated subject belongs to another culture. The second method is assaulting the identity of a culture or its members. Cultural appropriation usually discriminates or undermines members of a culture, causing serious harm to them.

Reference:

J.O. Young and C.G. Brunk (2012). The Ethics of Cultural Appropriation. 1^st Edition. UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. p5.

Cultural Appropriation: Case Study (Fashion)

One of the most recent publicized events being suspected for cultural appropriation in the fashion industry is Marc Jacobs's Spring 2017 show. Jacobs is criticized for using rainbow-colored dreadlocks (of which he got inspirations from Lana Wachowski, Boy George and many others) on his mainly-white model selection.

Later the same year, the New York Times published a fashion choice article on American artist and French Resistance veteran Josephine Baker’s style and paired it up with images of supermodels Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid with the fashion style. Josephine Baker came from families of African and Native American descent.

The reference points out that these examples did no legitimate respect for culture from people of other races when the same tactic of displaying "familiar faces" is used over and over again.

Reference: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/cultural-appropriation-fashion-days-article-1.2849611

Essay Choice: Cultural Appropriation

Choice of Essay: Number 3 (Examine the issue of cultural appropriation within a domain of beauty, fashion or music industry. Why are some communities cautious of, or against this practice?)

A brief glance about why communities are against cultural appropriation:

- It is very different from assimilation, a process when marginalized people adopt elements of the dominant culture in a community.

- It also perpetuates negative stereotypes on the particular culture, or even the dark history that culture had faced in the past.

- It increases discrimination and prejudice against a certain culture. Prejudice is a negative perception towards another, usually not based on adequate nor accurate information.

This subject had significant references with the Ethnic Relations (Hubungan Etnik) class.

Recent findings:

One popular example of cultural appropriation is the portrayal of Japanese culture in the 2017 live-action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell starring Scarlett Johannson. The film received a major negative reaction even before the film was released.

References:

http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/06/cultural-appropriation-wrong/

Essay Choices: Personal Answers and Understanding

I have chosen some of the most interesting questions to be answered.

1. Critically review a local art/ design exhibition in-depth. Discuss it in terms of its curatorial goals and exhibition design with related research.

I have visited the Negaraku Exhibition at the Balai Seni Lukis Negara (National Visual Art Gallery), an art exhibition showcasing the influential, nostalgic and provocative art through the history of Malaya from the era of British colonization to the formation of Malaysia. Its goal is to create awareness of the importance of visual art to the country. Visitors can go up close and personal with the artworks, which have hidden meanings in various genres related to the social and political aspects of the nation.

Reference: http://www.artgallery.gov.my/?p=5269

  

3. Examine the issue of cultural appropriation within a domain of beauty, fashion or music industry. Why are some communities cautious of, or against this practice?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, cultural appropriation is the inappropriate use of elements of one culture by members of another and typically more dominant culture. Cultural appropriation is very common in the fashion industry of countries with racial diversity, when the locals pick up the customs and religious traditions of other cultural groups.

According to Susan Scafidi, a law professor at Fordham University, cultural appropriation is “unauthorized use or infringement of intellectual property from another culture without permission” and it may be offensive to the cultural group in question.

References: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/cultural_appropriation

https://www.thoughtco.com/cultural-appropriation-and-why-iits-wrong-2834561

Media Culture: Essay questions review

1. Critically review a local art/ design exhibition in-depth. Discuss it in terms of its curatorial goals and exhibition design with related research.

(Will be written after field trip)

Goal: Research and review the exhibitions visited during the field trip. Find out whether its curatorial goals are related with its research.

2. Compare and contrast the relationship of celebrities with their fans in two different creative communities. Which one is relatively more healthy in their connections?

Goal: Compare and discuss how celebrities from two different creative communities connect and keep in touch with their fans; find out which relationship is healthier.

3. Examine the issue of cultural appropriation within a domain of beauty, fashion or music industry. Why are some communities cautious of, or against this practice?

Goal: Discuss cultural appropriation, its social issues and find out why the community is against this practice.

Definition according to online sources: adoption of the customs, practices and ideas of one culture by members of another.

Reference: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/cultural_appropriation

Note: Most communities are siding against this practice due to being regarded as “infringement”of intellectual property.

4. What are some issues and best practices for design in multilingual communities? Write from the perspective of either a graphic designer or interactive designer.

Goal: Find issues on how to solve problems for design in multilingual communities in the perspective of a graphic or interactive designer.

May include language barrier issue.

5. Explore a variety of media is used within the context of branding or trans-media storytelling. Does variety dilute the effectiveness of an advertising campaign or story?

Describe the use of trans-media storytelling or branding.Discuss whether it reduces the effectiveness of an advertising campaign.

Definition from online sources: Trans-media storytelling tells a single story across multiple platforms.

Reference: www.tstoryteller.com/transmedia-storytelling

~ WengWah Khik