The Concept of Cultural Appropriation

In an idea pioneered by Edward Said, it now appears that many people regard "cultural appropriation" as being inherently sinful, offensive and so on.  This seems to extend to flavoured rice.  The idea, which has merit, is that mapping out someone else's culture and seeking to define it can itself be an act of domination and part of a colonialist project.  This was Said's main argument in Orientalism, his seminal if rather turgid work on the subject. 

I can't help but feel that it isn't appropriate in all circumstances.  Firstly, aren't all cultural traditions always being defined by somebody if not foreigners such as those imperial officials who went out defining India and so on, than often specific groups within a particular culture who have an axe to grind.  For example it can be a tool for those who want to prevent feminist reform or reforms aimed at helping poorer people since many cultures have traditionally been dominated by male attitudes/aristocratic groups. 

Secondly, doesn't it tend to ignore the important role of cultural mixing.  Many changes and developments in cultures come from the interactions of different cultures. a few random examples might include the work of: Katsushika Hokusai, Claude Debussy, Picasso and numerous Mughal artworks.  These often involve incorporating elements from culture that might be seen as completely misunderstanding them/misrepresenting them.  The whole insistence on "silo" cultures also seem to deny some of the most fruitful cultural enterprises which are dependent on melding different traditions.

A similar position applies to modern interpretations of the past, where a genuine appreciation of the past in its own terms is in conflict with what a current audience finds tasteful, appropriate or commercially marketable.

Where I think there is a real danger her is that the whole language becomes subject to preconceptions that see cultural interactions as wrong, so that (for instance) the loans of Leonardos from Italy to France gets blocked because there is a misplaced sense of ownership