Honors Projects
Abstract
With our world becoming increasingly globalized and cosmopolitan, practices that were once very traditional and spiritual are much different when they confront Western societies. Many yoga instructors and practitioners around the world are concerned about the issue of cultural appropriation within their practice. The researcher defines cultural appropriation to mean the process of a dominant culture manipulating aspects of a marginalized culture for its benefit. Traditionally, yoga comes from India, but it has become popularized throughout the world in our recent human history. Through interviews with nine yoga instructors, each from different yogic traditions, who teach in a variety of Western cultures, a conclusion is drawn about how Western yoga in certain cases is cultural appropriation of traditional yoga. The limited published research already available on this issue is incorporated in this qualitative conclusion. Advice for future yoga instructors from Western cultures is also provided.
Department
Honors Program
Major
International Studies
First Advisor
Amanda Rzicznek
First Advisor Department
English
Second Advisor
Abhishek Bhati
Second Advisor Department
Political Science
Publication Date
Spring 5-11-2020
Repository Citation
Bartholomew, Olivia, "Investigation of the "Cultural Appropriation" of Yoga" (2020). Honors Projects. 505.
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/honorsprojects/505
Included in
Alternative and Complementary Medicine Commons, Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, Hindu Studies Commons, History of Religions of Eastern Origins Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, International and Area Studies Commons, New Religious Movements Commons, Other History Commons, Other Religion Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons, Sociology of Religion Commons, South and Southeast Asian Languages and Societies Commons