By the way, Have you or either of the Aussies you mention written on any of this? I'm sort of trying to think about how, in a non-stupid way, to look at possible differences in how some of the original issues of cultural appropriation play out in countries that, while certainly full of institutionalised racism, have different histories of it. And so I'm looking for discussions and comments from people who are not in the U.S.
For example, in both Canada and Australia, there's no history of institutionalised slavery, and perhaps some of the most blatant race issues (certainly in Canada, and as far as I know in Australia) have been those associated with attempts to force the assimilation of Aboriginal peoples.
In Canada, the cultural metaphor for being a country where people of many different races and cultures live has been, at least since the 60s, one that at least pays lip service to the idea of celebrating multiculturalism and starting from the idea that most people have more than one cultural perspective/experience.
On the other hand,the U.S. has adopted and still to at least some degree maintains the metaphor of the melting pot, in which people are expected to merge into the mainstream culture.
I don't know if that means anything in the discussion of cultural appropriation and writing the other, which is where this all started, but I do know that when I hear people talking about writing characters of colour as people who "just happen to be Korean, or Nigerian, or Tamil, or..." something in me thinks this is very wrong even before I get to thinking about it from a cultural appropriation standpoint.
And I think a part of this is because I "know" that there are and should be cultural differences between me as a Canadian whose native culture is Scottish and my fellow Canadians whose native culture is Korean or Nigerian or Tamil (even before we talk about the differences that come from privilege status) because I'm surrounded with the idea that it is a good thing to be both a Canadian and Scottish, or Tamil, or Korean, or Nigerian.
On the other hand, it may be a difference that makes no difference, because there are plenty of ways to use the multicultural society concept in racist ways, just as there are to use the melting pot metaphor in racist ways.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2009-02-04 12:55 am (UTC)For example, in both Canada and Australia, there's no history of institutionalised slavery, and perhaps some of the most blatant race issues (certainly in Canada, and as far as I know in Australia) have been those associated with attempts to force the assimilation of Aboriginal peoples.
In Canada, the cultural metaphor for being a country where people of many different races and cultures live has been, at least since the 60s, one that at least pays lip service to the idea of celebrating multiculturalism and starting from the idea that most people have more than one cultural perspective/experience.
On the other hand,the U.S. has adopted and still to at least some degree maintains the metaphor of the melting pot, in which people are expected to merge into the mainstream culture.
I don't know if that means anything in the discussion of cultural appropriation and writing the other, which is where this all started, but I do know that when I hear people talking about writing characters of colour as people who "just happen to be Korean, or Nigerian, or Tamil, or..." something in me thinks this is very wrong even before I get to thinking about it from a cultural appropriation standpoint.
And I think a part of this is because I "know" that there are and should be cultural differences between me as a Canadian whose native culture is Scottish and my fellow Canadians whose native culture is Korean or Nigerian or Tamil (even before we talk about the differences that come from privilege status) because I'm surrounded with the idea that it is a good thing to be both a Canadian and Scottish, or Tamil, or Korean, or Nigerian.
On the other hand, it may be a difference that makes no difference, because there are plenty of ways to use the multicultural society concept in racist ways, just as there are to use the melting pot metaphor in racist ways.