Cultural Appropriation Frameworks: Comparative Analyses across Art Forms and Regions

Neema Amani U.

Faculty of Business and Management Kampala International University Uganda

                                                                       ABSTRACT
This study examines cultural appropriation frameworks through a comparative analysis of visual arts, performing arts, music, and literature across diverse regional contexts. It interrogates the complex relationship between cultural hybridity and appropriation, emphasizing how power asymmetries, historical inequalities, and globalized cultural flows shape artistic production and interpretation. By situating appropriation within colonial and postcolonial dynamics, the study highlights how dominant cultures often extract, commodify, and recontextualize elements from marginalized communities without adequate recognition or reciprocity. The paper further evaluates how different art forms negotiate authorship, authenticity, and representation, revealing that appropriation is not a fixed category but a spectrum influenced by intent, context, and impact. Through interdisciplinary and comparative methodologies, the study underscores the importance of ethical engagement, community collaboration, and culturally sensitive frameworks in mitigating harm. It also identifies key limitations in existing models, including overreliance on binary power structures and insufficient attention to co-creative and digital practices. Ultimately, the study proposes a more nuanced, reflexive framework that balances creative exchange with accountability, contributing to ongoing debates on cultural ownership, equity, and the future of global cultural production.

Keywords: Cultural appropriation, hybridity, power representation, and ethics.

CITE AS: Neema Amani U. (2026). Cultural Appropriation Frameworks: Comparative Analyses across Art Forms and Regions. IDOSR JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES 11(1): 58-66. https://doi.org/10.59298/IDOSRJHSS/2026/111586