The Cultural Appropriation of the Kurta
Andrew Kapelle
6 October 2014
Dear Editor,
Although I am not a
Pakistani like yourself, relating with your personal account on cultural appropriation
was quite easy as it is a very simple concept to fully understand.
To me, Cultural
appropriation is the idea of adopting one’s culture without the requirements to
do so. It is often regarded as an unacceptable behavior to the legitimate
members of the cultural group. Your encounter with cultural appropriation was
non-South Asian people wearing the kurta; which from my understanding is a
super-comfy man dress that connects South-Asians of all classes. You stated that
the act had made you feel uncomfortable and that you would face discrimination
if you tried to adopt other’s culture and the feeling of inferiority.
On the
second last paragraph you mentioned “it represents the love for a culture…” I
find this interesting due to the fact that throughout the editorial, you were
against non-asians wearing the kurta as it lessens the value and overall
meaning. What if the meaning they are trying to convey is different to your
ideas?
The real question here is why not think of
cultural appropriation toward as an act of respect towards the South-Asian
culture? You might argue that I’m only an Indonesian whose culture and traditions
is not as widely known when compared to other Asian culture and some might even
refer to as Asia’s best kept secret. Nevertheless being more open-minded can
only be beneficial for you and your surroundings.
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