Title: “The Case for Cultural Appropriation”

Worries about cultural appropriation have become dominant in the past decade, shaping cultural policies intended to protect minority cultures from exploitation. But is the idea of appropriation — which assumes that culture is the property of individuals or groups — the right tool? I will argue that it is not. While well-intentioned, the theory of cultural appropriation disregards the fundamental role of exchange in how cultures develop and thrive. Because the theory of appropriation is fundamentally at odds with how culture works, it ends up doing more harm than good. I will propose an alternative way of avoiding exploitation, one more in keeping with the history of culture.

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