Lay Perceptions of Cultural Appropriation

Abstract

Although globalization has brought diverse cultures closer, these encounters often lead to intergroup tensions. One potential issue that could lead to further tension and conflict is cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation incidents seem to be increasing in the media, but our academic understanding is relatively limited, with different definitions scattered across fields. The present paper aims to understand cultural appropriation from multiple perspectives in psychology, including intergroup relations, social cognition, and cultural psychology, and this research examines instances of potential appropriation relevant to different cultures, including Native American culture, Vietnamese culture, and “local” culture in Hawai‘i. Study 1 used focus group interviews to examine lay definitions as well as components and examples of cultural appropriation. Study 2 was a quasi-experiment examining the role of context and perceiver characteristics. Study 3, a series of three experiments, examined the impact of specific actor characteristics, including social status, social influence, knowledge, and intention, on perceptions of cultural appropriation. Studies 4 and 5 aimed to extend the previous studies by addressing the external validity of previous findings. Study 4 examined the relationship between authenticity and perception of cultural appropriation, while Study 5 examined how personal importance of specific cultural products influences people’s perception of cultural appropriation. Through this series of studies, the present paper revealed that people’s lay definition of cultural appropriation is largely negative and how various factors relevant to the context, perceiver characteristics, and actor characteristics can contribute to people’s perceptions of on an act as cultural appropriation. Specifically, people believe that historical and current context, actor’s social status, intention, and knowledge of the culture are all factors that contribute to cultural appropriation. Moreover, those high in political correctness and who identify more with the culture at hand are more likely to perceive a situation as cultural appropriation. The results of the studies shed light on important contributing factors in people’s perception of cultural appropriation, examine diverse and potentially realistic situations of cultural appropriation, and expand our knowledge of the underrepresented local culture of Hawai‘i.