James O. Young & Conrad G. Brunk 
The Ethics of Cultural Appropriation 

The Ethics of Cultural Appropriation undertakes a comprehensive and systematic investigation of the moral and aesthetic questions that arise from the practice of cultural appropriation.

* Explores cultural appropriation in a wide variety of contexts, among them the arts and archaeology, museums, and religion

* Questions whether cultural appropriation is always morally objectionable

* Includes research that is equally informed by empirical knowledge and general normative theory

* Provides a coherent and authoritative perspective gained by the collaboration of philosophers and specialists in the field who all participated in this unique research project

Table of Content

Notes on Contributors ix

Preface xii

Artist Statement xvii

less LIE

1. Introduction 1

2. Archaeological Finds: Legacies of Appropriation, Modes of
Response 11

George P. Nicholas and Alison Wylie

3. The Appropriation of Human Remains: A First Nations Legal and
Ethical Perspective 55

James [Sakej] Youngblood Henderson

4. The Repatriation of Human Remains 72

Geoffrey Scarre

5. ‘The Skin Off Our Backs’: Appropriation of Religion 93

Conrad G. Brunk and James O. Young

6. Genetic Research and Culture: Where Does the Offense Lie?
115

Daryl Pullman and Laura Arbour

7. Appropriation of Traditional Knowledge: Ethics in the Context
of Ethnobiology 140

Kelly Bannister and Maui Solomon (Part I) Conrad G. Brunk (Part
II)

8. A Broken Record: Subjecting ‘Music’ to Cultural Rights
173

Elizabeth Burns Coleman and Rosemary J. Coombe with Fiona
Mac Arailt

9. Objects of Appropriation 211

Andrea N. Walsh and Dominic Mc Iver Lopes

10. Do Subaltern Artifacts Belong in Art Museums? 235

A.W. Eaton and Ivan Gaskell

11. ‘Nothing Comes from Nowhere’: Refl ections on Cultural

Appropriation as the Representation of Other Cultures 268

James O. Young and Susan Haley

Index 290

About the author

James O. Young is Professor of Philosophy at the
University of Victoria. He has published more than 40 journal
articles on the philosophy of language and the philosophy of art
and is the author of Global Anti-realism (1995)
and Art and Knowledge (2001) and Cultural
Appropriation and the Arts (Wiley-Blackwell, 2008).

Conrad G. Brunk is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and
former Director of the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society
at the University of Victoria. He is the author of numerous
articles and texts on ethical issues relating to technology, the
environment, law, and professional practice. Dr. Brunk consults
regularly for governments and international organizations on
environmental and health risk management and technology policy
issues.