The politics of cultural appropriation in the contemporary USA

This thesis is an analysis of the underlying and overarching issues in the contemporary cultural appropriation debate focusing primarily on white appropriation of African American culture in the twenty-first century. It examines specific instances of appropriation and their consequences as well the...

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Main Author: Menzel, Sarah
Format: Thesis (University of Nottingham only)
Language:English
Published: 2018
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/52162/
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author Menzel, Sarah
author_facet Menzel, Sarah
author_sort Menzel, Sarah
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description This thesis is an analysis of the underlying and overarching issues in the contemporary cultural appropriation debate focusing primarily on white appropriation of African American culture in the twenty-first century. It examines specific instances of appropriation and their consequences as well the significance of the broader sociocultural debate regarding appropriation. The implications of appropriating 'Black' hairstyles and of the case of Rachel Dolezal form the primary focal points for case study discussion. Other considerations are examined such as the historical trajectory of appropriation, varying forms of cultural exchange and possible explanations for why the appropriation debate has become particularly poignant in contemporary media and sociocultural discussions. The specifically racial nature of American history, ideas of otherness and the parallels between social and cultural politics are key discussion points which point to a larger narrative of racial essentialism and politicisation.
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spelling nottingham-521622025-02-28T14:08:56Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/52162/ The politics of cultural appropriation in the contemporary USA Menzel, Sarah This thesis is an analysis of the underlying and overarching issues in the contemporary cultural appropriation debate focusing primarily on white appropriation of African American culture in the twenty-first century. It examines specific instances of appropriation and their consequences as well the significance of the broader sociocultural debate regarding appropriation. The implications of appropriating 'Black' hairstyles and of the case of Rachel Dolezal form the primary focal points for case study discussion. Other considerations are examined such as the historical trajectory of appropriation, varying forms of cultural exchange and possible explanations for why the appropriation debate has become particularly poignant in contemporary media and sociocultural discussions. The specifically racial nature of American history, ideas of otherness and the parallels between social and cultural politics are key discussion points which point to a larger narrative of racial essentialism and politicisation. 2018-07-17 Thesis (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en arr https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/52162/1/The%20Politics%20of%20Contemporary%20Cultural%20Appropriation%20in%20the%20USA.pdf Menzel, Sarah (2018) The politics of cultural appropriation in the contemporary USA. MRes thesis, University of Nottingham.
spellingShingle Menzel, Sarah
The politics of cultural appropriation in the contemporary USA
title The politics of cultural appropriation in the contemporary USA
title_full The politics of cultural appropriation in the contemporary USA
title_fullStr The politics of cultural appropriation in the contemporary USA
title_full_unstemmed The politics of cultural appropriation in the contemporary USA
title_short The politics of cultural appropriation in the contemporary USA
title_sort politics of cultural appropriation in the contemporary usa
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/52162/