Is it Appropriate to Appropriate?

Cultural appropriation, as defined by Celia Haig-Brown, is “the adoption of some specific elements of one culture by a different cultural group” (Haig-Brown 929). Accusations of appropriation are most often leveled by groups who are marginalized culturally, racially, or socioeconomically, like in the case of Indigenous communities (Young 143). Said communities have not only had their physical materials appropriated but non-physical elements, such as “ceremonies” and “artistic expressions” as well (The Canadian Encyclopedia). While there are examples of cultural appropriation that are more…