Cultural Appropriation and the Arts

“Cultural Appropriation and the Arts, by James O. Young, provides an analytical, comprehensive overview of ethical and aesthetic issues concerning cultural appropriation.”  (Journal of Cult Economy, 25 March 2011)

“Young tackles an ambitious subject in this book. Culture, appropriation, and art, the keywords in the book's title, are all notoriously difficult to define. Young does not dedicate his book to defining these terms. Instead he clarifies family resemblances of these concepts, which he uses to make a case against cultural appropriation generally and the incorporation of cultural appropriation in the arts specifically. Recommended.” (Choice, November 2008)

“The chief virtue of the book, [is] the conceptual clarifications Young brings to this diffuse topic, in particular the basic distinctions among types of appropriation.” (Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews)

"This book could only have come about through many years of travel and scholarly investigation. It is a valuable introduction for those not familiar with the literature on this interesting subject. Cultural Appropriation and the Arts will become the standard work in this field for many years to come, and undergraduates could gain every bit as much from its interesting examples and clear arguments as graduate students and professionals can." (Phil Jenkins, Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 67, no.)

"Thank goodness for James O. Young! Finally someone has cut through the cant associated with cultural appropriation, weighed the issues with care and a keen eye for irony, and clarified the ethical limits of intercultural borrowing. This concise, accessible book will be a bracing tonic for anyone interested in the global art market, cultural property, and dilemmas of social justice in a world of disappearing borders."
–Michael F. Brown, Williams College, author of Who Owns Native Culture?

"Young's offers a measured and sensitive analysis of the moral and aesthetic issues raised by cultural appropriation. He praises responsible cultural appropriation and distinguishes this from cultural appropriation that amount to theft and assault or that cause profound offense. An interesting contribution to a topic that has not received the attention from aestheticians that it deserves."
–Stephen Davies, The University of Auckland

"Here at last is a philosophical work that cuts through the precious nonsense and rhetoric written about the kinds of appropriation bound to occur when the arts of one people bump up against the arts of another. James O. Young is acutely sensitive to the political sentiments that cloud these issues, but completely clear and rigorous in his analysis. In its incisiveness and honesty, Cultural Appropriation and the Arts is a major contribution to cross-cultural aesthetics."
–Dennis Dutton, University of Canterbury, New Zealand