What’s cultural appropriation for people of dual heritage? | Letters
Thanks to Ash Sarkar for opening up the debate about cultural appropriation (Why we need to pause before claiming cultural appropriation, Journal, 29 April), but she forgot to mention the growing population of people of dual or multiple heritage. My daughter often wore shalwar kameez when she was young, yet I am white Welsh and her dad is Goan, so does that make it cultural appropriation? She wore cut-off jeans that barely covered her bum when she was a teenager, so is that cultural appropriation? She speaks some Konkani and has a Portuguese surname, knows a few worlds of Welsh, and now she’s studying to be a yoga teacher in India. Is she appropriating culture that isn’t hers? The debate has to return to what really matters, power and exploitation, otherwise where do all our dual-heritage children belong?
Jo Fisher
London
Ash Sarkar says “Not all cultural borrowing is a form of social violence: some of it is just cringe”. Sometimes it can be the positive cross-fertilisation of ideas. What happened to the idea that being open to the influence of other cultures is a good thing?
Rebecca Linton
Leicester
Is there ever a topical issue that Adrian Mole hasn’t faced? I quote from his Secret Diary nearly 40 years ago: “Had Vesta curry and rice for dinner … Mrs Singh came round … She seemed to find our curry very funny, she kept pointing to it and laughing. Sometimes I think I am the only person in the world who still has manners.” RIP Sue Townsend. If only you were here now to guide us through Brexit.
Anne Gould
Tring, Hertfordshire
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