From cultural appropriation to cultural appreciation - Case study of a tiki bar in Norway

Abstract

As presented by UNESCO (2021) "the protection of culture is not only a cultural issue; it has become a security imperative". This thesis by following the UNESCO Recommendation, refers to the fields of culture, cultural representations, critical studies through the theory of decolonisation of knowledge. Using concepts of cultural appropriation, cultural appreciation, escapism, and colonial nostalgia this thesis analyses the subjectivity of such concepts through the interviews of the owners of a tiki bar in Norway. The goal of this thesis is to analyse what everyday practices the bar owners identify as efforts towards cultural appreciation, which could therefore be looked upon as everyday peace practices and peace from below actions. The following aim of the thesis after this identification is the critical analysis of them, applying decolonisation lenses to the owners' actions and efforts of education, therefore analysing in a broader sense if a shift from cultural appropriation to cultural appreciation is at all possible in tiki bars.