Kallie Schut: What is Cultural Appropriation in Yoga?
When I search for information about yoga – whether it’s in print, on social media or on the web – I am bombarded by images that fetishise Indian culture as a mystical, magical practice.
Where I do find representations and writings by South Asians, they tend to be elevating patriarchal structures of self- appointed gurus who have financial interests with yoga “paraphernalia,” teacher trainings, and branding allied to the their key audiences in the West, who tend to be mainly white embodied middle class women.
I’m a woman of colour, who has South Asian heritage, and the cultural appropriation of a wisdom tradition for its iconography or one which is constrained by Euro-centric body ideals, feels alienating to me – it exacerbates the sense of disconnection and loss from my own sacred ancestral traditions and beliefs. The definition by Professor Scafidi, below, illustrates how the stripping or cherry picking of South Asian culture causes harm – especially when those from within the culture are excluded, ostracised, or marginalised from the teaching of yoga and the leadership and decision making roles in shaping how yoga evolves from a place of equity.
According to Susan Scafidi, law professor at Fordham University and author of Who Owns Culture? Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law, “taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artefacts from someone else’s culture without permission. This can include unauthorised use of another culture’s dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc. It’s most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive, e.g. sacred objects.”
Even the language around cultural appropriation fails to convey the extent of the harm which is repeatedly visited upon minoritised and racialised cultures and peoples. The cultural extraction and exploitation often takes place within a framework in which the culture is consistently decontextualised, i.e. separated from the rich pluralism of the informing faith and wisdom traditions from which it originates. It reinforces power dynamics, including the brutal legacy of colonialism, and the patterns of oppression built upon the perpetuation of racial and cultural stereotypes and mythologies.
Why is cultural appropriation so important?
The reason why cultural appropriation is so harmful is that it is a tug-of-war between power, identity, and historical recognition of harm and violence. It goes to the very heart of who I am and what I am, my cultural identity and connections to my ancestors, land and people. It appears harmless as it is often explained away as the embrace of inclusion, diversity, and appreciation of the rainbow of ethnic cultures. Yet, when we explore more deeply and ask questions through a post-colonial lens, we can begin to identify the harm.
Here are 4 questions for your self enquiry which support decolonising yoga and antiracist approaches
Is the source culture and/or the heritage peoples of that culture othered, stereotyped, or stigmatised in any way? Are they perceived as ‘less than’ by the societal norms in the West? Do they, as a group, have less political, cultural, and economic influence and power?
Has the practice or tradition been commodified and exploited for financial or status gain – with the most aesthetically pleasing and accessible parts compartmentalised, packaged, and sold as ‘gift for humanity’?
How much cross-cultural stress, conflict, and communication is there between the generation of South Asian descendants and those with European heritage practicing and teaching yoga today? Are the interactions rooted in equity, empathy, and respect and is the relationship itself an echo or subversion of power dynamics?
What depth is there to the understanding of cultural meaning and context – i.e. historical oppression and subjugation, codes of conduct, cultural and ethical values, and spiritual philosophy? Is there evidence of widespread blending, mixing, and diluting of cultures by the West? It is likely that your reflections will lead to recognition that there is a reality of inequity in modern yoga.
How to create and sustain positive social change
Here are my 4 pillars:
1) Heal and bond with your own ancestral and cultural roots where known and unknown, and heal your relationship with the earth’s wisdom
2) Build inner knowledge through a strong personal yoga practice by studying from a range of wisdom sources, especially those from South Asian writers and teachers
3) Connect with the heart and roots of yoga by developing relationships across lines of difference and especially with descendants from the source culture through compassionate listening and openness
4) Move from ethical values grounded in equity and justice and through which you address impact of both your words and silence, your actions and inactions
Written by Kallie Schut
If you are interested in learning more with Kallie Schut, consider joining our upcoming ‘Sacred Activism’ training hosted by Kallie in our space at Studio 70!