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)

"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