Reading a Case of Cultural Appropriation: Sherpa Identity in the Global Marketplace

• In Event: Postcolonial Epistemologies and Transnational Social Justice: Knowledge, Power, and Difference

Abstract

Purpose
This paper examines the cultural appropriation of the Other to serve the interest of mainstream society. Appropriation, or what hooks (1991) calls “eating the Other,” is about politics, race, and power. Museums, exhibits, and marketplace multiculturalism function as mediums to appropriate the Other as exotic and “different” subjects (Willinsky, 1999). Focusing on the Sherpa, part of the ethnic Nepali identity and associated with people who live in the northern regions of Nepal, the paper engages western curriculum which inserts Sherpa people when discussing “traditional” societies in the Himalayas and their mountain climbing skills.

Theoretical Perspectives
The paper provides a critical approach to examining western representations of the Other, particularly in relation to the discourses of race, gender, and politics (Grewal, 2001). It explores how western curriculum representation of the Other has portrayed marginalized global communities as societies without history or culture (Smith, 1999; McCarthy, 1999). It also draws from postcolonial theories which argues that representations are not innocent and are connected to power (Said, 1994).

Methodology
The paper utilizes a visual analytical methodology in the examination of photographs and other visual representations (Hall, 2013). It also employs postcolonial discourse analysis to examine the ways in which the Other is represented in western narratives and writings (Mohanty, 2004). The use of such methodologies allows for the examination of how Sherpa identity and representations have been produced in western curriculum. It also facilitates the examination of the role of media in producing what Sherpa is and how their portrayals ought to be used. Such methodologies enable educators to trace the politics of visual representations, and allow for the analysis of the visuals that are always culturally mediated (Parvez, 2011).

Results
The western construction of the Sherpa is connected to marketplace multiculturalism (Sensoy, 2010) that uses the visual vocabulary of “culture” to represent non-western ethnicities. The Sherpa is inserted into the global marketing approach that uses the adventurous, rugged, and masculine motif to sell and commodify cultures. The west also represents the Sherpa as traditional with an ancient and vanishing culture, thereby making the community more exotic and appealing to the marketplace. In addition, it markets and consumes the Sherpa identity through the slogan of “We are Sherpa.” For example, Sherpa-related items are produced to cater to western consumers in order to help worthwhile causes, such as building Sherpa schools.

Significance
The paper adds to scholarly conversations on cultural appropriations and how appropriations are connected to larger dynamics of power and politics. There is limited analysis on how Third World marginalized cultures are appropriated and how the topic of cultural appropriations can be used pedagogically in classrooms. The analysis will demonstrate that marketplace multiculturalism appropriates the Other, and will provide insights into how so-called exotic cultures are consumed for the benefit of western audience and how such consumption is often assumed to benefit marginalized communities. The paper critiques “feel good” citizenships that have increasingly become popular in western curriculum that claims to speak about marginalized communities.

Author

• Binaya Subedi, The Ohio State University