Cultural appropriation has been a constant conversation in literature due to the discussion on how authors should approach including diversity in their work. Some argue it’s best not to touch other cultures they are unfamiliar with due to the risk of offending anyone. Others claim it is essential that everyone writes characters with diversity so literature can be brought into a more inclusive light. Let’s talk about cultural appropriation, why we must address it in the literature community, and how we can properly research it so everyone can explore writing diversity in their characters.
Trigger Warning: This article contains brief mentions of racism and discrimination. Please exercise personal care while reading.
What Is Cultural Appropriation?
Cultural appropriation is the act of one culture adopting elements of another culture, especially in cases to exploit marginalized groups, in a stereotypical, disrespectful, and/or exploitative way. In literature, authors can easily appropriate other cultures due to a lack of research and reliance on common stereotypes. Literature is a powerful tool to influence minds. When we are ignorant of the appropriation in our writing, we can create harmful narratives that stem from outside literature and into our society.
One example would be Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel, which has caused a lot of controversy since its publication due to the lack of research on Chinese culture, which led to the whole book being a racist commentary. It aims to “learn about the danger of having such an honorable name.” Still, it uses nonsensical syllables to “mimic” the Chinese language while using a Japanese illustration style. This appropriation of Chinese culture is offensive and harmful to the community because it creates a narrative that demeans their language and accent, but also warps perceptions of what Chinese culture actually is. The message behind the book is also harmful to the community because it erases the importance of names in Chinese culture, attempting to appeal to a Western point of view. It diminishes a culture through blind ignorance that perceives Western ways of thinking as superior to others, which inherently teaches kids racist notions of Chinese culture without them realizing it.
Why It Needs to Be Addressed
Ignoring the problem will not solve anything. Cultural appropriation occurs in a lot of media. Still, when we do not acknowledge its appearance and learn from the mistakes made, we hide ourselves in a light that lacks accountability for the author’s mistakes. By acknowledging its presence when it occurs, we can still enjoy the childhood stories we used to listen to while acknowledging any misleading qualities the story may have had in presenting its communities.
Stories like Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings are known in their communities for their moments of cultural appropriation. Harry Potter is known for J.K. Rowling’s ability to conform to racial stereotypes, especially when naming her characters. Her most widely criticized character in this aspect is Cho Chang, whose name, you may realize, made readers feel like Rowling did not even try to develop the character. This lack of thought can diminish one’s story because these decisions can be seen as lazy work that could have been avoided. The Lord of the Rings stems from a culturally appropriated background, which can also be seen in its show, as many of the more “savage” tribes tend to be depicted as darker characters with complicated languages. While a fantasy, it still would have been helpful if J.R.R. Tolkien had researched the types of people he was drawing inspiration from, because then we would have a more complex story that dives deep into characters.
How to Properly Research
It can feel stressful to dive into other cultures, especially with the stigma around who can and cannot write about different communities. The critical part to remember is that you can always practice before handing out your published work. Without practice, we cannot grow as writers in our craft because without it, we would never be able to learn from our mistakes. Look into workshops you can attend in your community to get feedback from other writers on how your characters are perceived. If you have people in your life who have first-hand experience and would be willing to answer some questions, utilize their presence in a manner that is respectful and open-minded.
These insights will be major tools in your story development because cultural information can heighten a story’s worldbuilding and character development. The more we understand the world around our characters and their inner selves, the better we can plot our stories to create intriguing stories that stray away from Western stereotypes to create plotlines that have depth and understanding.
When it comes to research, credible sources are always your friend. Look for authors in the cultures you observe and analyze how they incorporate their culture into their writing to blend into their worldbuilding. For writers, details are crucial in our work because every aspect of the story creates meaning into who our characters are, where they are, and what this story is trying to tell us. Remember: you are trying to embrace your story by having people from similar cultures. Your story is given a second pair of eyes that is objective and willing to provide resourceful and accurate feedback to your characters and their being.
Squire by Nadia Shammas and illustrator Sara Alfageeh is an excellent example of the combat against cultural appropriation within Orientalism. The authors dedicate their graphic novel to Edward Said’s work in establishing Orientalism and its dangers. Readers are given a narrative that is culturally significant, complex, and an overly beautiful commentary of war, censorship, and colonialism, by taking the Western concept of the one true savior and changing the narrative to follow people’s genuine struggle when they discover the truth about what’s been hidden from them their whole lives. By examining this narrative, our authors can give us complex characters who are not inherently evil. Still, all show humanity in just a small sample of characters. The communities built hold people from all types of backgrounds, focused on their own cultures and the one that colonized them in an attempt to create a conversation of communities built through inclusion and the destruction of oppression that brings to the success of these communities.
We must have conversations on cultural appropriation and its place in literature, so that future authors can learn from our progress and grow a healthy community to include diversity in most of our books. We cannot incorporate inclusivity without practice, so if you are a writer, I challenge you with a prompt: Choose at least one culture to research and write a short story draft incorporating subtle worldbuilding aspects that incorporate said culture into your plot. This can simply be practice; you do not have to show anyone, but by starting to learn how to integrate other cultures into your writing, you can identify how you can avoid culturally appropriating people while learning more about others and their place in our society.
For more on addressing cultural appropriation, click here.
For book recommendations on BIPOC authors, check out our Amazing Inclusive Representation of BIPOC Mental Health bookshelf on Bookshop.org.
