Cultural Appropriation at Haverford

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! CULTURAL APPROPRIATION AT HAVERFORD POST-CONVERSATION TRANSCRIPT COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS AN OMA/CPGC COLLABORATION ! Cultural Appropriation [re]ACT: Community Conversation Series Sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) and Center for Peace and Global Citizenship(CPGC) Friday, October 23, 2015 CPGC Cafe, Stokes 104 SESSION OVERVIEW A topic of discussion and debate in the media, universities, and other institutional spaces in the United States, agreement as to what defines a culturally appropriative act has been hard to come by. We offer the Haverford community an opportunity to engage with what cultural appropriation might mean in our contemporary moment. [re]CC COMMITTEE ● Stephanie Zukerman, CPGC Program Coordinator ● Tamar Hoffman ‘16, CPGC Intern ● Benjamin Hughes, OMA Program Coordinator ● Oluwatobi Alliyu ‘16, OMA Intern ● Clara Abbott ‘18, OMA Intern COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS ● Dr. E. Gabriel Dattatreyan, Visiting Asst. Professor of Anthropology FACILITATOR SESSION NOTES OPENING REMARKS ● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN2WaZAUY2U- Showed this light, funnier video entitled, “Costume Fails” DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: ● What were people’s thoughts on this video about “Costume Fails”? ● What is culture? ● What is the difference between race and culture? ● What role does history play in cultural appropriation? ● What is the difference between cultural exchange and cultural appropriation? DISCUSSION POINTS: ● Too limiting to argue that only white people can commit cultural appropriation? ● We need to account for mixed identity and mixed culture when talking about cultural appropriation. ● Cultural appropriation takes other forms besides just Halloween ● Cultural appropriation happens when history is ignored ● Cultural appropriation not just clothing: also hairstyle, music, language/speech ● Argument about what role privilege plays in cultural appropriation DISCUSSION CONCLUSION(S): 1. Encouraged to think below the surface about buzzwords like “Cultural Appropriation” and start informal dialogue outside this setting .

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