I linked to this story on Beverly Jenkins, which is a really good read. We received a comment from one of the readers who is worried that if she read books by Beverly Jenkins, she might be accused of cultural appropriation.
“I own several books of Beverly’s but with all the talk about cultural appropriation, I stopped buying them. I didn’t want to be accused while on the bus I took daily….“
Clearly, there is some confusion to the term. People use it in different ways, and it’s a topic that generates heated debate, so its definition can seem a little vague and it’s easy to get confused. Let’s look at it in the context of goods, services, and art.
Let’s say there is an Native American tribe that produces moccasins with their traditional tribal designs.
If I decide to set up shop next to them and make cheap knock-off moccasins with the same tribal designs, I’m guilty of cultural appropriation. I’m profiting from their culture and I’m diluting the value of their product. Not only the tribe gets nothing, but since I don’t know what these symbols mean, I’m just throwing them together, disrespecting their cultural heritage.
If I go and buy a pair of moccasins from the tribal shop, I’m not engaging in any cultural appropriation. I’m supporting the tribe with my purchase. The tribe has made the decision to sell their moccasins, so they clearly don’t mind if the general public wears them, and the tribe benefits from the sale.
When you pretend to be African-American and spend half of your life claiming African-American heritage like Rachel Dolezal, you are guilty of cultural appropriation. This person pretended to be African-American and used those claims to become branch president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP.) She claimed to belong to a certain group and directly profited from her deception.
The fact that we watch Empire as a family doesn’t make us guilty of cultural appropriation. It is a show offered to the public. Its creators want as many people as possible to watch it. By watching the show, we are supporting it. We are not claiming its heritage for ourselves. We simply like the show and if enough people watch it, hopefully they will make more of it. And if I ever meet Taraji P. Henson, I will ask her for an autograph.
By buying a book by Beverly Jenkins, you’re not appropriating anything. You are buying a beautifully written story by one of the best authors working in Romance today. You are supporting her efforts. Please feel free to read it on the bus. You won’t regret it.
This is my current favorite. 🙂
Since Ian Vance’s beloved wife was murdered years ago, the hardened bounty hunter knows he’ll never feel love or tenderness again, so he’s made it his mission to ensure others get their justice. But when he’s charged with delivering a sharp-eyed beauty to the law, Ian can’t help but feel he may still have something left to lose.
Orphaned at twelve, Maggie Freeman has always found her way out of trouble. But now there’s a vigilante mob at her back who would like nothing more than to see her hang for a crime she didn’t commit. Maggie may have to accept help for the first time in her life . . . even if it’s from the one man standing between her and freedom.
As the past closes in, the sassy prisoner and toughened lawman may just find a passion between them that could bring blinding happiness . . . if they’ll let it.
I was lucky enough to sit and chat with Beverly Jenkins at the RT Conv. Took a pic with her. She signed one of her books for me. She is an absolute delight and a great role model. We chatted about y’all too. I may have mentioned being fantastically excited to meet Ilona Andrews once or twice. My back spazzed out and I had to leave early as a result, but I was happy as a freaking lark to have met the fabulous B. Jen. She is as nice as nice can be. So is Heather Graham, in case anyone wondered. 🙂 I suspect that all authors would be happy to have any shade reader buy their books.
Well explained. How sad if enjoying a book or other creation by someone of a different race or background would be wrong. How else do we learn about our world and see it through others eyes.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is an issue that is so frequently misunderstood, and it made me so happy to see my favorite writing team addressing the topic. Great explanation.
I wrote Beverly Jenkins a fan letter. She is a great writer and deserves to be on the best seller lists.
Thank you for this brief and appropriate explanation for the masses
I have a stricter (or looser depending on how you look at it 🙂 definition of cultural appropriation. Create beautiful art from any culture you like, just sign it with your own name , don’t masquerade as being from another race or culture.
Jane Smith make moccasins to your heart’s desire. Zhang Wei carve sculptures that would have pride of place in an ancient Roman Senator’s Villa.
Depends what you are taking from the other culture, if you’re picking up concepts which are considered sacred and using them to sell toys (as Lego did with Maori gods at one point) then I’d be prepared for some serious cultural backlash.
Bottom line is, do your research and know when you are stepping on people’s toes.
At one time there was a commonly cited theory about how jazz was created by a bunch of white musicians living in New York City, and the black roots of the music completely erased in that accounting. (Okay, “At one time,” might be optimistic.) There are a lot of ways to be a jerk – there are a lot of ways not to be a jerk, too.
I think your definition of cultural appropriation is absolutely correct. But the concern of the reader is still valid in the larger discussion of cultural appropriation and how people interact with strangers. Let’s take your moccasin example. I agree with you that purchasing the moccasins from the tribe is not cultural appropriation, but if i wear them around town (or on the bus) i am liable to be accused of cultural appropriation. This was the concern that it seemed the reader was expressing. the fact that over censorship of others clothing, art and services based on what people presume is appropriation by the person they are seeing, without an acknowledgment that the person may be acting in good faith and care. That is not even taking into the consideration the presumption of the race and the culture of the person being accused of appropriation. Now don’t get me wrong, i doubt a person on a bus is going to verbally attack someone for reading a book by an author of another race, but things that like clothing, hair styles, and some forms of art can cause a person to be accused of appropriation if they enjoy them in the wider world.
So saying, i say read the book and enjoy it. and if truly concerned, i find ebooks or wrapping the cover of the book can take care of the issue. ( a lesson learned from the military guy i know he got hooked on romance novels, he used to wrap the books to hide what he was reading in the barracks 🙂 )..
Jen, I completely love how you learnt about covering book covers. This is a very cute story!!!
I agree with everything Ilona said. I think buying something from someone of another culture is supporting their work. I don’t see anything wrong with this. It’s allowing the author to make a profit and if their work is good… It’s good.
oh yeah, it is. and i am all for supporting the artist. just pointing out that supporting an artist can still have others verbally confront you and accuse you of appropriation. The person doing so is wrong, both in action and in what they are accusing you of. but them being wrong does not mean I or others want to get confronted while going about our lives. So for stuff that has an obvious cultural history to it, i end up either buying but not displaying outside my home, or not buying. Which makes the censorship of those accusing everyone of cultural appropriation harmful to those artist my purchases would support.
and yes, i can tell those strangers to back off, but i personally don’t want to end up in a confrontation because of what i wear/have.
When I lived in Tulsa Oklahoma I bought beautiful jewelry from a Native American store called the Indian Store (yes….that’s the name). I do not have any tribal blood in me. However, by buying the jewelry I was supporting whoever made it. I would get looks from the owner as well as others in the store when I would look since I’m very picky as to what I would buy.
There was a smaller Indian Store I went to in a mall. I would talk to the ladies who ran the store and take a look at what they had. I kept looking at the chokers they had but none of them I liked. One day it came out in conversation that I didn’t like any of the chokers in the case. One of the ladies asked me what I liked. I told her silver beads and bone. No feathers and the choker had to be in a multiple of 3. I told her the bone could be black or natural and the leather tie had to match the bone. The next week, there was the choker I described to her in 6 strands. I bought it right away. That’s when it hit me that the lady I talked about what choker I wanted was a master jewelry maker for her tribe. She smiled at me when I bought it and asked her if she made it.
I totally agree with you. One thing is to support their art and community, and another is to actually use it for everyone to see. The reader has a very real concern. I truly believe that it all depends on our community and environment. I sure read whatever I want and as much I want (Kindle books), but when it comes to music and fashion, my community is not as forgiving.
I don’t live in the US, so maybe I’m missing something, but what are you all talking about? How can it be cultural appropriation to buy a book written by an author with different skin colour? We are talking romance novels here, written for entertainment purposes!
NOT reading a book because of the author’s skin colour or the characters’ skin colour could be a problem, but the other way round?
As someone else posted – does this mean that all “white” literature should be off limits to minorities? No Jane Austin, no Shakespeare, no French, Russian or German authors?
Should black people not be allowed to quote Chaucer or Goethe?
The mocassin example can be problematic, as the people you meet afterwards may misjudge your intentions, but that is once again not a case of cultural appropriation in itself but rather a case of being nervous of being accused of it.
Would you argue that a Native American wearing a smoking is a case of cultural appropriation?
A clear example of cultural appropriation would be the inclusion of some spiritual prayer songs from Buddhist monks or a muezzin call in some pop song (at least in most cases I can think of).
But an American author writing novels for the public is simply a case of adding content to the American cultural history. Speaking of “black” or “white” distinct cultures that are not allowed to mix is an absurd idea of cultural segregation that can’t be argued for in any realistic way and totally ignores the “melting pot”-history of the United States.
*laughs* though as a member of a chan buddhist order, I thought this epic metal version of the heart sutra was hilarious. (Though I suppose the inside/outside distinction applies – it’s kind of how it’s might be okay for me to tease my sister, but you sure shouldn’t try it.) (Also, I’m a terrible example, as I don’t treat buddhist scriptures as sacred, though I will occasionally drone on about their historical background.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7aButXpZfY&feature=youtu.be
I think often the question is not are the chants and materials included, but are they included in an appropriate way. And you might not get everyone to agree on an answer.
Uh-huh. Yep. Absolutely agree.
Offshoot of ‘political correctness’. Which is something thought up by people who have too much free relaxed time on their hands, who are not stressed making it thru their work day, who don’t have family/legal/health/work issues draining them every weekday.
Angela, actually, a lot of political correctness is people who are having all of those same problems, but also being called ‘sweetie’ in a demeaning fashion by their boss or colleagues, or don’t appreciate being referred to as ‘those people’ when out for an evening with their friends. The basis of political correctness is just showing respect for others. Please don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater just because people take it too far sometimes.
Teri, thank you for your reasoned explanation. I agree with you. From what I remember, what is called ‘political correctness’ was meant to be kind and respectful of different people – unless one thinks racist, queer and sexist jokes are funny and acceptable behavior. Unfortunately, certain political attitudes have demeaned the term to the point of ridiculousness.
To me, ‘cultural appropriation’ is tied to making money off of other cultures, because in this country, money is how worth is too often measured. I don’t see how reading about other cultures falls into that, unless you are stealing and reselling the book.
I don’t wear very much jewelry, and I’m pretty picky about what I do wear. But if I had a piece made especially for me, as Patricia describes above, I think I’d feel like I was doing the maker a disservice by not wearing it. A piece like that – it’s not just about supporting their craft, it’s also appreciating it. YMMV, of course. I think there’s a lot one could do in how one wears it – you don’t have to present yourself as a member of the community.
And communities are weird. And while I am mean, and will pretty cheerfully outlast people if I think they’re being silly, some things just aren’t worth it. (I have this really lovely understated mud silk jacket. I adore it. Back in Seattle, it easily works for business casual type dress. In Ohio it is formal and exotic, and weird, and draws a ton of attention, and since all I was aiming for is “this is a jacket that I like and looks decent on me” I finally stopped wearing it around here. I mean, if I was wanting to draw that sort of attention, fine, but mostly it ends up being a distraction.)
I wonder if it is cultural misappropriation if an African American woman loves reading novels that contain white people? Does this mean I cannot read Jane Austen? Seriously, thank you for your response. For so many years I could not read science fiction or fantasy without being challenged about my “blackness”. I have learned that who I am is not defined my reading preferences. Instead, I define myself by how much I can do to create equality, peace and justice in this world. Understanding each other through literature is a step towards acceptance of our differences and our similarities. Again, thank you for your ability to explain and tackle topics with clarity, openness and truth.
Oh my word! Cultural Appropriation? More like yet another example of Political Correctness.
Not a criticism of Ilona’s statement- just the concept of CA made we want to TU.
I totally agree. PC started out as something good and it has turned into an evil making us watch our words like we would living in a dictatorship…
As for not being allowed to read books based on race,… that has nothing to do with Cultural Appropriation. It’s racism.
It’s also called censorship.
I feel that in some cases it is misapplied revenge for other people’s insensitivity, rather than anything rational. I’ve lived in a lot of places and have broad spectrum of acquaintances. Everything that can be taken too far will be, by someone out there.
I have been a fan of Beverly Jenkins since I read her first Blessings book. I have devoured the rest of her books since then. Beverly is on my list of authors that I will automatically buy just because she wrote it.
Nobody should put a limitation on what somebody else should read based on skin color. I believe that people should be able to read anything as long as it gives that person joy, or expands her thinking, or gives her a respite from whatever burdens her, or makes her more understanding of others.
Good authors are hard to come by and to limit oneself just because other people might cry “cultural appropriation” is sad… People are the same inside whatever their skin color is anyway. For example, I cannot believe how familiar and relatable Arundhati Roy’s the God of Small Things was to me! I felt she was speaking about MY childhood as she opened her story.
It can be a difficult concept to navigate. I don’t think that wearing the moccasins around town is necessarily appropriation, but if you’re a Kardashian and all of a sudden everyone thinks wearing moccasins is the coolest thing ever and acting like you invented them, then it’s problematic. OTOH, if the moccasins trend, and everyone is buying them from the tribes’ store, isn’t that a good thing?
But reading books is always a good thing. Reading a great author from a different viewpoint cannot be a bad thing. So I would say, read away, and if someone dares to call you out, nail them right back and ask them how appreciating the human experience the author is presenting is exploitative in any way, shape, or form. Because that is a seriously exclusive way to view the world.
I once had a girl tell me that my majoring in Japanese language was cultural appropriation. Oddly enough, NO ONE I met in Japan had a problem with my fluency in their language.
For the record, I also have zero problem with Japanese or any other nationalities learning Gaelic, French, or Germen. Lol.
Oh, people.
I’ve never even heard the term before, the only time I’d ever hide a cover of a book on a bus is if it had a swooning big bossomed lady on the front, I’d be a bit embarrassed then lol.
Here is a good article on the subject:
http://everydayfeminism.com/2013/09/cultural-exchange-and-cultural-appropriation/
I think this is a particular nice point about what can be OK “That’s what cultural exchange can look like – engaging with a culture as a respectful and humble guest, invitation only.”.
IMHO, as a white person, as long as I read Beverly Jenkins in a respectful manner, then it is fine as she is writing about the history of her own culture. If I start thinking it makes me an expert on being black, or if I start dressing up as the characters, or trying to write fanfic about them/black people in the era generally, then I am edging into dangerous territory.
Taking the moccasins point, I might buy them but I would seriously think about how and why I would be wearing them. They may have special meaning to the culture, so I would want to make sure I would not be disrespecting that. Also many would consider them an “exotic” accessory; I could have the advantage of that and at the end of the day take them off and return to my white privilege. The Native Americans who take them off at the end of the day still have horrible things to face in society due to their culture, and can’t shed that, e.g. see the statistics on harm done to women of that culture. To me, that feels like it is edging towards cultural appropriation. I guess it goes back to the “respectful and humble guest, invitation only” point again.
But I confess this is something I am still feeling my way around.
Ooops – reads wrong. Meant to say “The Native Americans who take them off at the end of the day still have horrible things to face in society due to their history of oppression and how they are treated by society”.
Does this mean that the beautiful sari i bought on vacation shouldn’t be worn by me in public, because I am lily white?
I might have been living under a rock, because the term is new to me. But it sounds really sad to me, especially in the context if reading the B Jenkins book. I get that in the moccasins thing, making the knock-off shoes is wrong. But what is wrong about wearing them??
Beverly Jenkins is local to the Detroit area, and does her book launches at a bookstore near my house. She is a wonderful, wonderful person, and her fans are awesome, too. I discovered her work because I decided to check out one of her signings, and when her fans found out that I hadn’t read her yet they inundated me with suggestions to start with, lol.
I can’t recommend her enough!
If anyone is concerned about what other people feel about their book choices, cover the darn book. I sewed a fabric paperback book cover with little handles or use the traditional brown paper bag.
I would greatly enjoy a world in which multicultural exchanges are made for the love of learning and enjoying the beauty of another way of life. I see it happen all the time with food. People share and teach and learn and enjoy over all the cultural expressions in food. I greatly enjoy the friendships I have had over the years with people of different cultures, skin tones, and beliefs. It has made for an exciting, beautiful life – thus far! ☺
I can’t remember myself ever being bothered by the culture of the author of any books i read, i tend to move towards subjects i love not color of ones skin or nationality. I remember reading that a main character in one of Robert Heinlein’s books was not white and being pleasantly surprised because we think that people in the that era were stuck behind race lines which was obviously not true.
Though I can tell you i remember growing up and loving Maron Zimmer Bradley’s books and now as an adult finding out what kind of person she is made me feel like i shouldn’t have enjoyed them.
But thats a whole nother can of worms lol.
Yeah, P., I know what you mean. I too grew up reading Marion Zimmer Bradley. But Dad balanced us out with westerns such as L. Lamour, Z. Grey, mysteries such as Erle Stanley Gardner, Sir A. C. Doyle, A. Christie, and science fiction such as Issac Asimov, Randall Garrett, Robert Heinlein, Mercedes Lackey, Keith Laumer (retief series), Anne MCCaffrey, Andre Norton, E.E. Smith (lensmen series), Schmidt (telzey and trigger stories)… in later life he and I discussed books during his cancer chemotherapy and other things such as hospitalizations by L. M. Bujold (he lived long enough to see Cryoburn come out although I worried after she broke her arm and I saw that publication would be delayed because of), Harry Potter series (first books only, he never saw the movies or the last books), David Drake, Elizabeth Moon, John Ringo and David Weber (Dad died before the last Honor Harrington book was released).
I know this is Ilona Andrews blog and I do not mean to lecture but the thing I want to say is that you have to remember that unless you are reading a biography– although some do read like fiction and may be– that a book is a story from author’s imagination. What a person is like in reality can be quite different from their and your imagination. Some authors are very capable of writing stories they have imagined and others are not. Some authors are like some people and unable to move beyond their cultural socio economic upbringing and present. Some people write books because they want money but others write because they have an inner need to. Some authors go to the extremes of Jayne Krentz who writes under several pseudo names (Amanda Quick for regency romances, Jayne Ann Krentz for contemporary romances and Jayne Castle for future romances) and Nora Roberts who writes as J D Robb for her Eve Dallas mystery series. I do not believe it matters as long as you support your favorite authors –which may change as you change with age or experiences –and read your favorite books which may or may not change depending on you. [Also, remember movies are based on screenplays of books written by someone other than original author and sometimes have very little resemblance to book except in name only. ]
I am struggling with this as it appears in the news right now. I haven’t made any final decisions. This article is an interesting one. I am not sure I agree that only a writer of a particular cultural background is qualified to use anything from that culture. I suspect I am diverging a bit from your points though.
https://thewalrus.ca/on-cultural-appropriation-canadians-are-hypocrites/
I agree with Ilona’s posting. I also think politically correct has gone too far if / when people question your right to read a book by any author. Read what you like by who you like when you like and where you like! Personally I don’t like bringing ripping bodice covers to the very corporate office where I work so an e-reader solves that issue. Otherwise if people comment on my reading choices I tell them each of us is free to read what we want and I hope they get a lot of enjoyment out of their choices.
Arts, Entertainment, Fashion, Inventions – when combined they make the world a better place and were meant to be shared by all.
I think reading a book written by a person of color or a non-white person is emphatically NOT cultural appropriation, but actually one of the most honest (and enjoyable) ways to engage with a different culture. After all, the author/artist has put out her work for the public and as long as she is compensated fairly for it, that is alright. Once I start to critically engage with that book as a priviledged white MC chick it becomes more complicated…
Cultural borrowing is normal and has been going on a long as there has been contact between different peoples and cultures. It of course becomes problematic if it is exploitative and involves a relationship of power that is hierarchical/assymetrical; the following short article in the HuffPost provides a good starting point to understand what cultural appropriation is and what it isn’t: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-conversation-africa/cultural-appropriation-wh_b_10585184.html
With regard to moccasins: fashion actually is a highly contested field within the discussion about cultural appropration as the following powerful article about all the myriad meanings wrapped up in a garment shows: https://theintercept.com/2017/02/17/white-brazilians-dont-want-to-accept-their-racism-in-controversy-over-african-head-wraps/
When I was young and started out reading romance I was fascinated by the trope of the “Noble Savage” (Native American) and the “Exotic Prince/Sheikh”, naturally written by white women for white women; but since I have come to be engaged with Postcolonial Literature(s) and Theory I have become quite disenchanted with that trope as I now view it as quite racist, as “orientalizing” in the sense of Edward Said…
The cultural appropriation isn’t the issue. What the hell is someone on a bus/public transport doing butting in t what other people are reading?
When did it become OK to start ranting at a random stranger about cultural or political beliefs? ESPECIALLY A BOOK?????
I feel like I woke up one morning and looked out at the world and all the crazy leaped out of the pages and into real life.
I agree. I call it the “crazy pants syndrome”. That’s why I won’t say anything to someone I don’t know about what I think unless he or she asks. Then they get a mini-lecture which makes the other person back down really quickly.
Reading is about enjoyment and can be about learning. At work we are currently working on diversity and inclusion. If we aren’t willing to understand other races culture how will we ever understand the world around us. Writing is an art form in my opinion and just like I don’t understand modern art I do try to be objective when I go with others who enjoy it. Read what you love by any author out there I have never met an author who doesn’t want their books to be read by everyone.
Although it may not pertain to Beverly Jenkins in particular, or African-American writers in general, language choice has been a hotly debated topic within Postcolonial Literature for decades and what it means to write in the language of your former colonizers (just google the language debate between Achebe and Thiong’o). If an author decides to write in English (or French), then obviously they intend their work to be read by a wider audience. Some authors (like – a bit ironically Ngugi who are firmly on the side of writing in African languages) translates his own work from Gikuyu into English. And other authors mix in words, expressions from their native language, sometimes with translations and sometimes without…
Personally, I think there are a lot of unhappy people in this world who would rather dump their emotional trash on someone else rather than accept responsibility and clean up their own internal mess. I am sick and tired of political correctness, “white privilege ” crap, Black Lives Matter thugs, screaming filthy-mouth feminists, and all the rest of the BS in the news now. My “white privilege” came from my maternal grandparents immigrating from Austria trying to avoid war. He worked in a coal mine to support the family and she cooked and had six children. They survived through hard work and perseverance not “privilege.” My parents were the same kind of hard working people. They both had full time jobs and bought old homes and fixed them up for rentals. I hauled trash, scrubbed, and painted those places until I swore I’d never rent a house to anybody ever. As far as I’m concerned if you want you work and if you are not willing to work for what you want you don’t want it bad enough so do without and shut up.
As far as the book goes, “I am a reader and I will financially support any author who writes quality stories that enrich my world.”
Stay on topic, please.
Great discussion. Learned something new today. Thx.
This gets into an interesting field. I recently encountered a book written by a white author who had taken aspects of Japanese culture she liked and built a world and story around it. Now she is selling that book. She both diluted the culture and is actively capitalizing on selling her open misrepresentation of it. This happens a lot and I choose not to support authors who do that, especially as there are many Asian-American writers who, thanks to racism, are told their content isn’t relatable.
In an industry where whiteness is considered the norm and Black & POC creators are marginalized, it can be downright frustrating to see white authors write Black & POC characters and profit off them, especially when Black & POC writers are actively excluded from the industry by a variety of mechanisms, including outright prejudice.
I cannot tell from the description about Beverly Jenkins’s book. That said, many authors have written historical fiction that centered Indigenous culture with no input from indigenous people. Lack of research and inclusion is always a problem and will always result in cultural appropriation.
So from your comment, we shouldn’t be writing about Jim and his family, Dali and her mother, Martha, Eduardo, George… I’d advise against reading our books. More than half of our characters are people who are not white. 🙂 It will drive you nuts.
Well, my advice would be to consult with sensitivity readers and pay them to help advise you on how you write these characters instead of just taking a guess and hoping for good feedback. You spend a lot of time researching fighting, guns, neighborhoods, and history. You can do the same with the cultural and racial characters you write.
People constantly act like seeking consultants is too much effort, yet if writers are as free with inanimate aspects of their narrative, they are called to task. It is very telling when the response to “seek out sensitivity consultants” is “don’t read our stuff.” It very clearly illuminates the lack of regard that white people have for POCs. It’s so natural for people to just disregard this type of research and I don’t get it. I really like your writing but this response was kinda gross considering I’ve seen you make broad calls for help with researching different parts of your books. You need to reflect on this more cuz it was unnecessarily dismissive of a legitimate issue.
This is what I was referring to earlier. Shouldn’t a writer be able to put themselves in a situation where they consider a perspective and write from there? I understand that there may be a history of certain voices lost or details missed but then maybe the important thing is to try a number of authors if diverse background not to have to provide bonifides to write a piece of fiction?
Well, to be fair, there are two different things at play here.
First, a writer should absolutely portray life as they see it. Life is vibrant. US is a melting pot that has people of all sorts of backgrounds and for a white writer to write a book with only white characters in it is disingenuous at best. By omitting characters of the background different from our, we effectively erase them from the narrative. Which is why we should absolutely have a variety of characters, especially when writing about cities such as Atlanta, which is 65% non-white.
That said, you won’t see me writing a book about what it’s like to be a black woman in American South. I haven’t lived through it, but plenty of black women have and they can tell that story much better than I. I can study it, but it wouldn’t be the same. 🙂
You make an important distinction; however, what about something far enough back in history that it is not someone’s experience? Or in reference to the article something from another culture’s folklore?
What does this mean for books like Barbra Hambly’s Benjamin January series. Should she not write these because she is a white female? By reading them I was exposed to a part of history and culture that I probably would never had known about without these books. They are fiction, but inspired me to do research on aspects of New Orleans history.
That determination has to be made on case by case basis. 🙂
What about James Clavell? He wrote about Japan’s shogun era. However, his work was fiction, but there was enough of Japanese culture and language that got me interested in Japan. He was a white author and was also in the Navy.
What you are talking about SJ is non-fiction or what is called a primary level of history. If a person did not experience the culture themselves but wants to write about what happened and meets a person who lived through whatever the person wants to write about, it is called a secondary level of history. Tertiary level of history is when the person did not live through the culture, time period, or whatever, doesn’t know anyone who did live through the culture, time period or whatever, and still wants to write a paper or book about it. Secondary and tertiary levels of history are filled with references. How do I know all about these different levels of history? I have a Bachelor of Arts in History with an emphasis in early American history (we’re talking colonial times to just before the Civil War (or War Between the States if anyone lives in the South)).
As one of the many black women who love to read (2,000+ books on my Kindle but don’t tell my hubby), I really appreciate the way you write your non-white characters. It is very refreshing to see Jim, Dali, etc. treated as people and not stereotypes or caricatures which always makes me cringe when I see it in other novels.
I especially love your treatment of Dr. Doolittle in relationship to Kate’s magic (no spoilers) because that is a very logical way for a POC to feel/react and you conveyed it perfectly. Sometimes, POC are treated as if we have no past (check out Medieval POC tumbler) or as if we won’t have a future (Logan’s Run) so I appreciate you posting this link. So, thank you VERY much for this post.
PS-Indigo is my favorite but Night Hawk is a close second. I can re-read your work and Beverly’s anytime.
Thank you reading. 🙂
For one thing, if you are writing fantasy, I think you get a pass to some extent. It’s your world and you get to imagine how the characters live in it. Someone writing fiction that’s based IRL, so to speak, has to be a lot more careful how they represent the experience of characters outside their own ethnic group.
For instance, Wen Spencer has written a fantasy set in Japan. It has various imaginary creatures and characters with supernatural powers in it. For someone to object to her characterization of Japanese culture would be a little disingenuous, because the whole book is obviously fantasy. In contrast, someone who is Anglo writing from the POV of a geisha in modern day, real life Japan is on more perilous ground.
And it’s not easy to get the voice right. On several occasions I have stopped reading books set in countries other than the US, after a few pages, when the voice sounded off to me. Upon checking the author bio, sure enough, I discover that the author is American. They just don’t sound authentic.
Which is why Dali is so difficult. I can say with some degree of confidence that we got her mother right, because we received several emails from Indonesians saying things like, “This is my mom!” But the amount of research and sheer reading these novellas take is daunting. We’ve read a lot of travel blogs trying to get the speech patterns right. Someone from Indonesia would write this naturally.
I wouldn’t tackle modern day Japanese setting. I’ve watched a metric ton of anime and Gordon lived there for a year, but I still wouldn’t do it. It’s an endemic culture. I’d have to go there and watch people for several months at least.
I love reading about Dali and her mom. I would have no clue how authentic they are to real life Indonesian culture, but they are wonderful in your world. The amount of research you do has always boggled my mind. And of course, the Russians crack me up, but they are probably a little easier for you to write. We have some Russian guys here in town that we do business with, and I wonder whether the book Gorky Park would still sound the same to me now that I know them (I read it when it first came out). Living in a diverse community probably gives you a better ear for that kind of thing.
I’m thinking here particularly about US authors who write stories set in the UK. It’s the same language, theoretically, but the syntax and vocabulary are not always congruent.
I know, right. You listen to Ben Aaronovitch on audio or Benedict Jacka and there is an entirely different rhythm.
Or just read it. I grew up reading a lot of British fiction, and I guess it rubbed off on me. It used to bug me that the way British authors of the 40s and 50s wrote American dialog was to have the characters use the word “guess” a lot. Then I noticed how often I actually use that word, and it made more sense, but British authors’ Americans still didn’t sound American to me. Aaronovitch’s Americans sound more normal. Neil Gaiman’s are the most authentic, but the guy lives here.
My country’s entertainment when I was growing up was split about 50/30 US/ UK so we got a fair amount of exposure to both authentic UK shows and Americans attempting to write British characters…it can make for some very frustrating viewing.
Funny you should mention that. As someone who grew up in the Scottish highlands, I find the highlander romance trope incredibly cringeworthy. Diana Galbadon writes fun romances, but I find it jarring when I come across local history being reassigned to her fictional characters and moved to different locations. It bugs me more because she has no connection to Scotland and had never even been there when she wrote the first book.
But I have plenty scottish friends who enjoy her books, and it’s probably better for people to get a glimpse of slightly mangled Scottish history than for her to have ignored it completely.
I understand your frustration. But I think telling non marginalized writers to write only non marginalized characters is dangerous. It censors, it stifles creativity, it creates a false representation of the world, and it’s (imo) racist. Imagine telling an African American author that she’s only allowed to create African American characters?
As a Chinese American, I have no beef with authors who write about Asian American characters. As long as they’re not stereotypes. Those are dangerous and extremely harmful to the represented group. And authors who do so knowingly (I had one tell me recently that it was okay for her Chinese American character to be a harmful stereotype because she was a minor character and those are allowed to be stereotypic) are contributing to the racism in this country.
As a child, I learned most of what I knew about white culture from books since my school was predominantly Black and Latinx/Hispanic and I rarely watched TV. Imagine if all the books I read portrayed white people as harmful stereotypes? I might’ve grown up with preconceived notions about them and become a woman who was afraid of white men, or believed they were all lazy, or that all white women were hysterical and angry or submissive sex fiends, or whatever else crazy generalization that’s applied to certain racial minorities.
To be honest, I get a little giddy when I spot an Asian American female character in a book I’m enjoying. I guess it’s the equivalent of white people enjoying a book and out pops a character who shares their name in a book. So I’m all for honest and respectful representation of marginalized groups in books. And TV and movies, while we’re at it too. In fact, we need it. Would it be great if publishers signed more poc? Hell yeah. And we should keep fighting for this and supporting the few we do have. But that doesn’t mean we should tell white authors to stop writing us into their stories. But I get where you’re coming from.
Anyway, to the Andrews, keep doing what you guys are doing so fabulously and we’ll keep reading.
Have to be honest I had never heard of this…my head is stuck in a book most of the time…but hubby had and we had an interesting discussion on the subject.
I’m sure this means a lot to some people, and I am In no way belittling their views…but for me I read what I want to read regardless of who has written it.
You know, I’m sure you think you do read what you want regardless of who wrote it. However, not every author of either gender or every race gets published in the first place, so what is available to you or anyone is already filtered. Your choices may not be as inclusive or widespread as you think.
I would never have thought reading a book sold to the general public would be considered cultural appropriation. I have not had the pleasure of reading Beverly Jenkins. Happy to have another author to check out.
I must say that every time I hear or see something about Rachel Dolezal, I am still shocked she got away with it for so long!
Quite frankly, I have never cared what color or nationality the author of my book is/was. When a picture of the author is included, I am often surprised. (Nalini Singh, anyone?)
The US is a country of immigrants and our culture is a blending of many elements from many places. I would hate to be limited to the culture of my genetic heritage. I would be bored out of my mind, even if the British Isles have many lovely things to recommend them.
I grew up in South Texas. The culture around me was highly influenced by Mexico. My parents’ Central Texas upbringing was influenced by the German heritage of many of their neighbors. My children grew up in Houston, one of the most diverse cities in the US. Should any of us be limited to Jane Austen, Bram Stoker and George Orwell? These are wonderful authors, as are the other many, many, many authors using English, but there is so much MORE out there. Should “Don Quixote” or “The Three Musketeers” be forbidden to us? What about Plato or “The Iliad”?
Read what you like. Nobody has the right to tell you not to.
(Besides, the idiots that might criticize your book only read “great literature” and have no idea who Beverly Jenkins is.)
Yes, yes, and yes! My dad was first generation American since his parents came from Germany before WWII broke out, and my mom was how-ever-many-generations of Massachusetts/New England/American. My mom read a lot when she was a teenager to escape every day life. She passed her love of reading on to not only me but the rest of my siblings. Science-fiction was her favorite genre to read. Back when she read it, sci-fi was literally fictional science. Her favorite writer was Isaac Asimov (whom by the way taught at a university my mom went to for a year in Massachusetts), and then she found others. It didn’t matter who wrote the book, it was the story that got her attention. She told me to look for a story that gets my attention, and not to focus on the writer. I’ve read some interesting books in my life because of that. Some got the attention of other people who stared at me while I was reading. I would look at the person staring at me, raise my eyebrows, and the other person couldn’t look away fast enough. 🙂
I got started on Heinlein juveniles and Andre Norton. I liked that the female characters didn’t sit on their hands and cry. I was the only person that checked out The Hobbit from our library. (I know because mine was the only name on the card inside the cover.) I “graduated” to the adult section in junior high and found Asimov, adult Heinlein, EE Smith and the rocket jockeys. I had great fun with the limited resources of a small town library. (As an aside, I don’t think there was a single book in that library in Spanish, even though 70% plus of the locals spoke it at home.)
I have trouble getting into a story if there is no one in it I can care about. I don’t have to like them, but I have to give a darn. Many highly rated books languish on my shelves with bookmarks partway through and will never be touched again. My children used to get these books – their tastes are different than mine – but now they usually decline the offer. Either they already have the book on e-reader or are not interested either.
My late husband was a military history nut. I’m sorry, I already know how those stories come out and I often am unhappy about it. (One of these days, I will have to donate the books to a university library.) It was the “how” of it and to some extent the “why” that interested him. My interest leans more to the “who” and “what happened”. Those are both good reasons to read, but my academic reading was stifled by too many teachers who criticized my taste for fun reading and insisted I should read “the classics”. (I still hate anything by Dickens.) I may have swung too far in the other direction, but 50 years later, I’m still having fun reading what I want to read.
Sorry. That header should be “kommiesmom”.
I think i can make the argument that “Cultural appropriation” is how cultures blend and society changes and “cultural appropriation ” is a good thing.
Look at the “American” version of English vs the “British” version. The “American” version appropriated so many words from other languages (German, Spanish, Native American, ect) that the 2 versions are very different. As our language changes, our culture slowly changes by the normalization of “something different” becoming “normal”. As the “stranger/enemy” becomes “me”.
If i am reading a good book from a different culture, enjoying the book and learning from a different culture, I understand the different at least a little more. That’s a good thing.
It depends on the form the cultural appropriation takes, I’m almost certain that we can find some cultural lines that you would consider that other people should not cross (like say digging up your dead relatives and parading them down the street) and that those lines are going to be different from the cultural lines that other people have.
Figuring out where those lines are for other people and whether you need to cross them (I’m not saying don’t cross them, just that you should be aware of them) is just good sense.
I think a lot depends on establishing a joint definition of “cultural appropriation ” . There is also a lot depending on where you are at and which culture you are in on how crossing cultural lines is viewed and handled.
“Digging up the dead” is a interesting reference. Have you ever been in New Orleans when a burial parade goes by? Burial customs in New Orleans are ….interesting .
(It would be easy to range wide with this discussion. I love intelligent, open discussion on challenging topics.)
But on the original posters topic…i have a hard time seeing a issue on reading any book…i might (and do) hide the covers at work..
I was actually thinking of the mokomokai (Maori heads preserved for their tattoos who weren’t really dug up but are definitely an on-going cultural sore spot) but the interaction between cultures and what each culture views as sacred (tapu ) is a continuous (and often fractious) discussion in New Zealand.
Having people who are completely unaware of the context of those discussions barge in and start scooping up culture without understanding what they’re doing or why people might be upset, sucks.
Doesn’t mean non-maori are barred from participating in Maori culture but it does mean that you need to put an effort into understanding the culture you’re participating in (or at least the part that you are interacting with).
Having said all of the above, learning more about a culture by reading books written by members of that culture is just common sense, I don’t see how even the loosest interpretation of appropriation could encompass that.
To that reader: Oh honey no. Reading my books only means you enjoy my stories. Not sure why you think that’s cultural appropriation, or who told you it is, but it isn’t – in any shape or form. Believe me. Please feel free to read any other author you like. Sincerely, Beverly Jenkins.
Lady you rock! Can’t wait to check out your book.
I’ve already ordered it.
Miss Beverly I’m so glad you chimed in! I’ve heard wonderful things about you in this blog and fully intend to get your books.
Ilona, loved your definition. As a WoC, I appreciate your efforts to foster a greater understanding of this issue. I relish the freedom to enjoy books written by and about people from all walks of life and feel that everyone should be able to do the same. It is possible to explore other cultures artistically with exploiting them- authors like yourself prove this everyday.
Thanks for everything. Looking forward to Wildfire.
“without exploiting them” Oy!
Okay, I guess I’m not as deep as the people who wrote on this subject. The question seem to me is why does it matter what color or affiliation anyone one it is fiction. Can’t we just read to read. Why does it matter what other people think if you like the writing or writer why do we have to look at color at all. Just enjoy life and move on. As a person who has known lose recently. Life is to short to let someone dictate your leisure time if you like it read it period.
Milly, I agree with you. Sadly though some people are filled with guilt that they are white and need to practice not only self flagellation but also find a way to condemn others who don’t experience this guilt
Thinking about that just now made me laugh ?
Thanks for that. Now I’m picturing it too.
I agree with you!! I am tired of people bringing up race. I wish people would just enjoy the book without bringing up racial issues. As American’s we are all mixed with many enthnicties.
Exactly my son is mixed do I tell him you can’t have a imagination. Or read what you want. Only mixed writers are opened to you. I don’t think so.
Given that my direct ancestry is from the UK for three out of four grandparents, my cousin has a typical “English Rose” complexion. Her husband is a Greek with black hair, dark eyes, and olive skin. The first time he took her to meet his extended family, his grandmother took one look at my cousin, removed the necklace from her own neck, and put it on my cousin. Because she did so, any objections that might have been made about my cousin were silenced. My cousin has never removed the Maltese Cross from her neck since Yaya placed it there. Now she might face people who accuse her of stealing someone else’s culture.
People are messed up.
Like Ilona Andrews, all of Beverly Jenkins books are definitely worth the reading and several times over. For me, Indigo is the favorite. The others in my top list (not in a specific order) are Vivid, Deadly Sexy, the entire Blessings series to-date, Nighthawk, and The Taming of Jessie Rose.
Thank you for this thoughtful and insightful post.
As a native American, it is very frustrating going to stores such as Wal-Mart that have my tribes’ knockoffs. I have also meet people claiming native Hertitage and others who are native but unable to enroll in a reservation due to the blood quantum laws established by the United States. As a member I have a picture id along with my blood quantum marked on it. I think as long as respect the culture and values it doesn’t make you a poser..
Love this post!
I saw that comment and wondered how best to convey what you so clearly conveyed. I guess my response was more of a “what to say to someone who calls you out” kind of thing, and that’s not really necessary. It’s just a simple “you do you and I’ll do me and by the way have you read this author, because she is awesome” type of thing, but it doesn’t have to go into the weeds.
And, I just finished Indigo. LOVED IT!
I want everyone I know to read it. Both of my parents are black southerners but I never learned about this period of time and I called my mom and told her she HAD to read this book with some seriously badass black folks and a wonderful, wonderful story. I learned a ton about American history and had a wonderful time doing it – so thanks for mentioning her so I could discover her.
A good book is a good book. I read all kinds of books. I think all writers should try to use all characters of all races so that it represents America as it is today if appropriate to story. As a teacher I was glad when all names were used in text books. Yes, it made it hard for me to pronounce but well worth the effort so that we were culturally diverse. Have you read Brenda Jackson or Sue Ann Jaffarian. Love them.
Ilona and Gordon I love all the cultures that you represent in your books! There is so much diversity of life that it adds to the excitement. Dahli is actually one of my favorite characters! I see so much support and acceptance that you have written into your stories; the relationships between the characters! It’s great!!! It’s cultural sharing!!!
I also support the idea that has been expressed several times in this blog that reading a diverse array of books is one of the most wonderful was to explore cultures.
Although I am not Japanese I took a submission course, in my undergrad studies, in Japanese language and culture. If I were an author I could write from that perspective. That’s how I see a lot of authors writing. Fortunately I haven’t read anyone that misrepresents a culture or claims one as their own when not.