The Ethics of Cultural Appropriation

The Ethics of Cultural Appropriation undertakes a comprehensive and systematic investigation of the moral and aesthetic questions that arise from the practice of cultural appropriation.

• Explores cultural appropriation in a wide variety of contexts, among them the arts and archaeology, museums, and religion
• Questions whether cultural appropriation is always morally objectionable
• Includes research that is equally informed by empirical knowledge and general normative theory
• Provides a coherent and authoritative perspective gained by the collaboration of philosophers and specialists in the field who all participated in this unique research project

Notes on Contributors ix

Preface xii

Artist Statement xvii
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1. Introduction 1

2. Archaeological Finds: Legacies of Appropriation, Modes of Response 11
George P. Nicholas and Alison Wylie

3. The Appropriation of Human Remains: A First Nations Legal and Ethical Perspective 55
James [Sakej] Youngblood Henderson

4. The Repatriation of Human Remains 72
Geoffrey Scarre

5. 'The Skin Off Our Backs': Appropriation of Religion 93
Conrad G. Brunk and James O. Young

6. Genetic Research and Culture: Where Does the Offense Lie? 115
Daryl Pullman and Laura Arbour

7. Appropriation of Traditional Knowledge: Ethics in the Context of Ethnobiology 140
Kelly Bannister and Maui Solomon (Part I) Conrad G. Brunk (Part II)

8. A Broken Record: Subjecting 'Music' to Cultural Rights 173
Elizabeth Burns Coleman and Rosemary J. Coombe with Fiona MacArailt

9. Objects of Appropriation 211
Andrea N. Walsh and Dominic McIver Lopes

10. Do Subaltern Artifacts Belong in Art Museums? 235
A.W. Eaton and Ivan Gaskell

11. 'Nothing Comes from Nowhere': Refl ections on Cultural

Appropriation as the Representation of Other Cultures 268
James O. Young and Susan Haley

Index 290

"There are several characteristics that make this collection of essays an admirable endeavour: the breadth of questions and disciplines covered - music, arts, archaeology, genetics, religion, ethnobiology - in an interdisciplinary dialogue moderated by philosophers; the passionate engagement of the authors with the ethics of appropriation of subaltern cultures by dominant Western cultures; the incisiveness of the debates over each theme discussed (one author debating with another before giving his/her own point of view in the shape of an individual article); the soundness of theoretical arguments and the stunning and provocative examples debated." (Journal of the Royal Astronomical Institute, 2011)
James O. Young is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Victoria. He has published more than 40 journal articles on the philosophy of language and the philosophy of art and is the author of Global Anti-realism (1995) and Art and Knowledge (2001) and Cultural Appropriation and the Arts (Wiley-Blackwell, 2008).

Conrad G. Brunk is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and former Director of the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria. He is the author of numerous articles and texts on ethical issues relating to technology, the environment, law, and professional practice. Dr. Brunk consults regularly for governments and international organizations on environmental and health risk management and technology policy issues.

Cultural appropriation is a pervasive feature of today's world. Whether it occurs within a country or across nations, it arises in every facet of a multicultural society. It can take many forms—from incorporating African-American musical styles to assimilating religious practices of indigenous peoples. And because it is usually seen as being inextricably bound with the oppression of minority cultures, the topic itself is often controversial and inspires passionate debates. But is cultural appropriation always morally objectionable? And are there instances where it might also be benign—or even beneficial?

The Ethics of Cultural Appropriation undertakes a comprehensive and systematic investigation of the moral and aesthetic questions that arise from the practice of cultural appropriation. With sensitivity and rigorous empirical research, this groundbreaking work brings together a team of leading philosophers and experts in the social sciences to examine the ethics of cultural appropriation in its various guises: the arts and archaeology, museums, genetics, ecological knowledge, religion, and more.