Anthropology of media addresses many theoretical and anthropological questions of authorship, representation, power relations, and the classic post-modern question of who has the right to represent who? Both Courtney Chaisson and Anna Orlowska address these questions with emphasis on representation and power relations in regards to the reuse of Native American and Aboriginal symbols in fashion.
Orlowska references the music production "Hey Ya" by Outkast and representations by Ke$ha. In both cases the traditional Native attire and ceremonial pieces are employed by the musicians without regard for the customs or the people whom they culturally "belong" to. The use of these symbols is irresponsible and cruel especially since in history these clichés have been representative of Natives in Media throughout history and usually in an ignorant and often racist manner. The stereotype is homogenizing and oppressive, Orlowska describes it as being, unacceptable due to the lack of context and the colonial past filled with tense and unequal power relations.
Likewise, Chassion explores the relationship with "trendy Caucasian youth" and the, "thin line individuals walk as they attempt to remediate and re-create significant songs, dances, movies and dress that have originated from different cultures." The blatant involvement of colonialism and power relations as well as the historical events that link the cultures involved in the cross-cultural recycling is touched on. She also emphasizes the artist's "intention" as a factor in the acceptability of an adaptation or reuse of another culture.
It is no surprise that both blogs take the position against the ignorant and stereotypical use of Indigenous dress and symbolism. From and anthropological background in which the purpose is to," document and valorize the richness and diversity of human ways of life"(Knauft 1996:48) as well as, "to expose, analyze, and critique human inequality and domination"(Knauft 1996:50). The unequal power relations are made clear by the fact of colonial history in North America. The dominance over the Native population and oppression that is still in many respects an issue to this day; make the misrepresentation and "mocking" of their culture unacceptable. This is a situation in which the right or representation is only acceptable in the celebration and honoring of another culture or by the culture itself. The question of representation and power relations has been addressed by many many anthropologists throughout history, including most post-modernists who also dealt with concepts of reflexivity and objectivity vs. subjectivity. Some of these theorists include, Max Weber, Karl Marx, Michel Fuco and James Clifford to name a few. However, this debate is paramount to anthropology and will thus continue to be discussed by anthropologists.
Bibliography
Courtney Chaisson
Anna Orlowska
Knauft, Bruce M.
1996. Stories, histories, and theories (Chapter 1). In Genealogies for the Present in Cultural Anthropology. Bruce Knauft, ed. Pp. 9-39. New York and London: Routledge.
Novak, David
2010. Cosmopolitanism, Remediation, and the Ghost World of Bollywood. Cultural Anthropology. American Anthropoogical Association. 25(1): 40-72.
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