In recent years, acts committed in retrieving and using elements from cultures external to an individual’s own without respect towards their source, have been associated heavily with the term Cultural Appropriation. It has garnered significant attention and controversy amongst the application to portrayals and accusations in contemporary art. However, scholarship for this subject is limited—due to such, this report will serve beneficial in exploring what it means to appropriate a culture, specifically in alignment with themes of Profound offence proposed by theorist James O. Young (2005). Conversations regarding rights to ownership, subjectivity to offence through identity, with historical annotations to colonialism will also be made throughout. Criticisms to such acclaim will be provided as well.
This report aims to address notions mentioned through the investigation in stances that believe in the right for the freedom to express creativity through artistic appropriation; regarding any subject, content or object, so long as respect and recognition is provided. Evident in evaluating the limitations required to obtain the moral rights to access this freedom of expression and via applying ways to overcome these notions, an in-depth dive into a more recent philosophical approach, and a legal definition to a combination of primary and secondary research to culture will be acknowledged.
Results accumulated from the sources research revealed an overlap in suggestions/concluding interpretations made in support of avoiding cases of cultural appropriation. Leading to cases of profound offence and harm, these results contribute to a personal proposition in overcoming such, while considering the benefit for both sides to the argument.
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