Rethinking Rosalía Through the Japanese Commodification of Flamenco Culture

Abstract:

How has the cultural appropriation of flamenco been conceived and questioned? What does it mean to profess ownership and rights of intangible minority cultural heritage, such as musical performance, when consumed globally? Do critics of cultural appropriation conceal a purist vision of culture or advance social justice against "culture vultures" who profit off aesthetics, beats, and stereotypes of different cultures? My article unpacks implicit questions involved in Rosalía's cultural appropriation by engaging with various theoretical models and contextual ambivalences. In doing so, I demonstrate why any critical reflection on this topic is complex. In order to provide a historical perspective on the discussion, I draw on Basilio Martín Patino's Desde lo más hondo II: El museo japonés (1998), a documentary discussing the Japanese commodification of flamenco. The film reveals how a Japanese entrepreneur appropriates the Andalusian Romani culture that was facing a decline in popularity in its original territory.