http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/beyonc-criticised-for-cultural-appropriation-in-new-music-video/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_appropriation
Though I
personally pay very little attention to the music industry, a recent happening,
revealed by a quick "News" search for "culture in news," seems
as if it would open this blog rather well. Titled "Beyoncé criticized for
'cultural appropriation' in new music video with Coldplay and Sonam Kapoor"
(the video is available further down the page), the article tells of controversy
around the Indian (or, more precisely, Desi, according to the article) imagery invoked
by the video and especially Beyoncé, specifically referencing numerous tweets
about the video supporting both sides of the argument. After supplementing my
general knowledge of the concept of cultural appropriation with the somewhat
dubious source of Wikipedia, I watched the video for myself to form my own
opinion.
Before I state said
opinion, I would like to analyze the Wiki article on cultural appropriation, as
it shares several fallacies with the more "informal" uses of the word
"culture." Specifically, it uses phrases like "a culture"
and "different cultures," which, really, is not how culture works. I
would not go so far as to say that culture does not exist or that it cannot be
studied; instead, to put it as simply as possible, I assert that it exists as a
gradient through time and space, with each temporal-spatial location having its
own influences on local culture. For example, in Nairobi, Kenya, 2007, there
are undoubtedly heavy influences from its recent colonial history, the numerous
ethnic groups (though I have read several rather convincing articles elsewhere
that argue that even they were a product of colonialism), contact with the
Middle East from the north and across the Red Sea (I would assume), and,
naturally, the influence of local individuals. The colonial aspects were
undoubtedly not present a few centuries ago, while contact with the Middle
East probably fluctuated regularly. The popular conception of
"cultures" does not account for the fluidity of what falls in the
realm of "culture," implying a certain rigidity both spatially and
temporally. In other words, it holds groups of people artificially separate,
which can only intensify debates like this one. All of that said, the Wiki page
does go on to mention that "cultural appropriation" can cause the
appropriated's meaning to be "lost or distorted." Furthermore, the allegedly
appropriated material seems to have been used entirely for the purpose of
looking good, as I cannot remember anything in the music itself that referenced
it (though I was not listening particularly hard). In this sense, despite the
other problematic implications of the phrase "cultural
appropriation," I think that, in this sense, that there was some
"cultural appropriation" occurring (however, see below).
With that
addressed, I move to briefly discuss the other things I think make this a good
opening article. While I honestly have absolutely no idea who "Coldplay"
or "Sonam Kapoor" are and only a minimum amount of knowledge on
Beyoncé, the article name implied some sort of frivolous application of something
("culture"), so I already expected frivolous sexualization would be
present. However, the title also had me assuming that Beyoncé played a more
important role in the video than "occasionally audible background
singer" and "purposefully visible dancer." While I do not profess
any knowledge of how much control a celebrity has over their jobs, I would
assume that, in this case, they have to follow the whims of the producer-types
in charge of these videos. If these assumptions are true, then Beyoncé is being
blamed for something she had little, if any, control over.
Do you think this
video engaged in "'cultural' appropriation"? If so, who do you think
made the decision that resulted in it? Did you understand my attempted summary
of my idea of culture? If any of you listened to the lyrics of the song, know
more about the music industry, or have knowledge on celebrity life that I do
not, could you tell me if I messed up in my assumptions?
--Forest Copeland
