Ideas in Conversation
Think about the everyday conversations you have with friends, siblings, parents, or strangers. In a good conversation, you share what you know, contribute something interesting, and listen to what others have to say. We change our speech depending on with whom we are speaking. Barging into a conversation without knowing the context, not allowing others to speak, or making false statements can shut a conversation down. The same is true for scholarly, design, and professional conversations.
As a student and young professional, when you write research papers, create moodboards, or collaborate on presentations, you will be entering into conversations with a diversity of authoritative and influential voices. Understanding the history and context of the topic, looking at it from a range of perspectives, giving credit where it is due, and being culturally sensitive are all part of having an information literate exchange of ideas.
Conversations: Good and Bad
Academic / Scholarly
When historians, scientists, and other scholars conduct research and write about their findings, they are often in conversation with contemporary and past experts on the topic. In publishing their research, scholars are required to track these conversations formally. They do this with something we call citation styles. APA, MLA, Chicago, and Turabian styles are the most commonly used citation styles.
Art & Design
In the art and design fields, conversations between artists and the world are more fluid and organic than in scientific or scholarly publishing.
The following infographic tracks the conversation that is the Surrealist art movement – beginning with Freud and continuing to today.
Surrealism and Fashion (opens in new window)
While there is no requirement to cite your inspiration sources, there are considerable social and legal consequences for outright stealing of intellectual property. Copyright, patent, and trademark law protect various aspects of both art and design work.
Cultural Inspiration or Appropriation?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines cultural appropriation as “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the practices, customs, or aesthetics of one social or ethnic group by members of another (typically dominant) community or society.”
Some people are now referring to it as Cultural or Racial Plagiarism.
What is Cultural Appropriation vs Cultural Appreciation?
| Cultural Appropriation | Cultural Appreciation |
|---|---|
| Takes away cultural elements without acknowledging or giving credit
Encourages stereotypes Done without any deep understanding of the cultural context, significance, or history Disrespects the oppressed, marginalized, or racialized group |
Celebrates cultures in a respectful way
Asks for permission Gives credit or compensation Seeks deeper learning, meaning, stories, and understanding from the appropriate group |
So, what do you do about feeling inspired by the beauty of what you see in cultures other than your own? How do you have a respectful conversation between cultures?
Because cultural appropriation is context-specific, there is no simple answer to these questions. However, here are some guiding questions to ask yourself when you are feeling inspired by ideas and aesthetics of cultures other than your own.
