Cultural Appropriation

Before we engage in a discussion on cultural appropriation, we must first explain what “cultural appropriation” is in terms of both its denotation (i.e. a dictionary definition) and its connotation (i.e. the feeling the term invokes). Second, if “cultural appropriation” connotes something worth avoiding, we should ask whether that connotation is justified in each and every use of the term.

To find a workable, informed, and sober definition of “cultural appropriation,” I turned to Oxford Reference, which defines “cultural appropriation” as “the taking over of creative or artistic forms, themes, or practices by one cultural group from another.” Though not central, nor intrinsically tied, to this definition, connotations of “exploitation and

That is, cultural appropriation is inherently neither exploitative nor dominant, though it may often be so. We should attach these negative connotations only when there is good reason to do so.

As a final note before I reach the substance of my post, I will accept that others may view this definition as incomplete. If given good reasons, I will adjust the definition, but because I have learned quite little about cultural appropriation to this point, I will rely on the above-listed definition to inform my conclusions about Beyoncé’s “Formation.”

Prof. Appert poses the following question for this week: “How and why does [the relationship between images and words] matter (or not matter) when it comes to question of appropriation, empowerment, and representing people or events?” For the sake of brevity, I will answer only the “appropriation” prong of this question.

Cultural appropriation exists only insofar as a song or music video can be interpreted as appropriating. Thus, I will focus on how images and words contribute to interpretations of

But first, let me be clear; no amount of appropriated images in the music video can justify an interpretation of the song as culturally appropriated. The reason is that a song must be interpreted based on its musicality, because that is what makes a song unique as an art form. Therefore, the images in the music video cannot give the lyrics a meaning they do not bear on their own. In other words, a music video is a supplement that is not determinative to the song’s status as appropriating or