Annotation

Horace Newcomb’s essay, “Other People’s Fictions: Cultural Appropriation, Cultural Integrity, and International Media Strategies” in Mass Media and Free Trade outlines the definition of cultural appropriation through the idea of cultural hegemony. He argues that a dominant culture such as that of the United States is often looked to and adopted by other countries. Newcomb feels that the borrowing of other cultures can have a positive effect because it is more of a contribution rather than a stealing of culture. He supports his argument through a case study from the entertainment industry of Finland and how it started to become more successful once American consultants came in and “Americanized” the industry. Overall, Newcomb concludes that cultural appropriation can be positive in his opinion instead of carry the negative connotation that it has. The borrowing of another’s culture is modeled as a form of respect to the leading culture as that launches it into hegemon status.