The Eleventh Edition of Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai Litfest
Monday, November 16th to Sunday, November 22nd 2020

Virtual Festival
Real Books

Live on YouTube, Facebook,
Twitter & Instagram

It’s Just Not Real : Why Cultural Appropriation Isn’t Cool

Panel Discussions
  • Saturday, 16th Nov
  • 10:30 am - 11:30 am
  • Tata Theatre - NCPA

When does cultural exchange end and cultural appropriation begin? Are you offended by Lady Gaga in a neon-pink burkha at London Fashion Week? Could Rudyard Kipling be accused of the sin? Are non-Dalits using Dalit characters in fiction not quite ‘authentic’? Kathryn Stockett admitted in the afterword to her novel, The Help, that she was worried she would “cross a terrible line writing in the voice of a black person.” But does the fear of cultural appropriation go against the very nature of fiction?

Panelists : Kannan Sundaram, Monica Ali, Perumal Murugan

Chair : Deepanjana Pal

  • Kannan Sundaram

    India
  • Monica Ali

    Bangladesh
  • Perumal Murugan

    India
  • Deepanjana Pal

    India