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YOGA AND CULTURAL APPROPRIATION
TOPIC
Investigation of the "Cultural Appropriation" of Yoga
OLIVIA BARTHOLOMEW
RE-APPROPRIATION OF THE HINDU GREETING 'NAMASTE'
Nama = bow / as = I / te = you
Namaste, therefore meaning 'I bow to you' is a deep form of respect, which is often misused and adapted by the Western world in order to capitalise on the Hindu greeting.
THE HISTORY OF YOGA
+ started with the very dawn of civilisation
+ The science of yoga has its origin thousands of years ago, long before the first religions or belief systems were born
+ spritual value was given special importance
A number of seals and fossil remains of Indus Saraswati valley civilization with Yotic motives and figures performing yoga indicate the presence of Yoga in India.
CLEARING MISCONCEPTIONS
+ commonly understood as a therapy or exercise system for health and fitness
+ the goal of yoga is more far-reaching
+ "Yoga is about harmonizing oneself with the universe
+ It is the technology of aligning individual geometry with the cosmic, to achieve the highest level of perception and harmony.”
+ does not adhere to any particular religion, belief system or community
B.K.S. Iyengar was the founder of the style of yoga known as "Iyengar Yoga" and was considered one of the foremost yoga teachers in the world
"Cultural appropriation is when borrowing and sharing between cultures becomes exploitation. It’s cherry-picking what looks cool in a cultural practice without learning and acknowledging its complex history. Cultural appropriation in yoga happens on many levels, from the messaging we receive from many major brands and media to the Sanskrit mantras printed on T-shirts.'
POSSIBLE TOPICS
- Eco-Anxiety
- Gentrification
- Cultural Appropriation and Yoga
- Impact of social media
- Benefits of hypnosis / Hypnosurgery
- Culture of Catcalling*
*REFERENCES
Dear Catcallers
NOA JANSMA
This is what it feels like
TERRA LOPEZ
TATYANA FAZLALIZADEH
Stop telling women to smile
Catcalls of Maastricht
TOPIC
CULTURE OF CATCALLING
#isayitsnotok
Hashtag movement in the UK addressing and creating awareness of street harassment
KIRSTEN SPRUIT
HOURS, MINUTES, SECONDS
A mixed-media installation that invites you to lay down and spend time — for the sake of dwelling in time itself. A resonant soundscape generated from the surrounding noise that is morphed through a series of delays provides a backdrop for people to linger in their own thoughts. An accompanying film uses slow textual iterations to contemplate the act of doing nothing.
#balancetonporc
ONLINE 'CATCALLING'
A women applying for a babysitting position and getting as a response: 'Hello, doctor from Dijon looking for a sexy well-kept babysitter to look after my daughter...'
SURVEYS
66% of people voted against 'NO BRA' as a dresscode within secondary schools in France.
🗯SHAME THEM
🗯 ACT VERY GRATEFUL
🗯 REMIND THEM OF THE WOMEN IN THEIR LIFE
🗯 “ COMPLIMENT” THEM BACK
🗯 EDUCATE THEM ABOUT PATRIARCHY
🗯 ANNOUNCE THAT YOU DON’T KNOW THEM
🗯 ACT CRAZY
TERM
GASLIGHTING
GUIDE FOR A DIY QUEER MATRIARCHY
Mosuo people live in matriarchal society, where the family unit is built around mothers. Females from the age of 14 are given a room where they are allowed to sleep with whom they wish. Pleasure and family is separated and children are raised by family members with the same blood.

Click to read a chapter of the book.
MARIA LLOPIS
FLORENCE GIVEN
WOMEN DON'T OWE YOU PRETTY
Florence Given is a British feminist queer illustrator and social activist, born in Plymouth and now based in London. She is known for her popular slogan designs which address social issues surrounding sexuality. She is the author of the 2020 book Women Don't Owe You Pretty, promoted as an accessible introduction to feminism.

Read her chapter 'Women do not exist to satisfy the male gaze' here!
INITIATIVES
GEMEENTE ROTTERDAM
STOP APP
App to report street harassment in Rotterdam.
Women, girls and members of the LGBTQ + community are regularly intimidated on the street. For example, they are called names, are heard aggressive sexually explicit comments or are chased for a while.

Stop Street Harassment is committed to policy around this problem. We believe that everyone should be able to walk the streets unhindered in our society. We work with local and national politicians on policy consisting of monitoring, awareness and punishment of street harassment.
VR EXPERIENCE
STOP STREET HARASSMENT
X MAKMENDE
A collaboration with a Amsterdam based film agency MAKMENDE resulted in the below VR experience that simulate what it feels like to be harassed by someone else.
EVENT
SLUTWALK
DATE
LOCATION
ROTTERDAM
09 MARCH 2019
Taking part in the Slutwalk was one of the most empowering marches I have ever been to. It was probably the first time I have ever celebrated being a women. Before the march, Kontra organised a sign-making workshop,
where we all made the beautiful signs as you can see above. The atmosphere was ecstatic from the sign-making to the talks up until the very end. It was the first ever Slutwalk in Rotterdam and the turnout was bigger than I could have imagined.
I find these events so crucial within our society, it is a kind of glimpse into what could be. Everyone was wearing what they wanted to and it felt safe because we were a majority for once. It saddens me to know that this cannot be
reality everyday and that when we walk the streets alone again we become a target yet again. I am extremely grateful to all the members of Kontra for taking such initiatives and making others see the anger and power we hold within us every single day.
BUSTLE
LISANNE OLDEKAMP
Article about how different women respond to catcallers.
Lisanne is the project manager of Rotterdam’s policy on street harassment.

Here are some notes from our talk:


- street harassment not being able to be punished due to freedom of speech
- no basis anymore to give out fines to catcallers
- currently trying to create a new law that would override this
TALKS WITH
Listen to full conversation here.
Biggest struggles so far and at the moment:
Goals:
- keep a constant awareness around street harassment
- get men involved in the conversation and let them educate others aswell
- they don't want victims to have to prove that they were harassed, but offenders to recognise it themselves
References from Lisanne:

https://www.emancipator.nl/en/mission-and-vision/

Emancipator strives for social justice: a sustainable world in which everyone can develop in safety, freedom and equality. This requires both men’s and women’s emancipation.

Unequal gender relations are a main cause for many problems in the world. Women have gained in their struggle for empowerment, equality and justice. It’s time for men to act and change in order to become part of the solution.
https://fairspace.co/

Fairspace’ s vision is for a society in which everyone in the Netherlands, regardless of sex, race, gender or gender expression, feels safe moving through public spaces.

Whether through transforming experiences on our streets, in bars and nightclubs, in schools or in the workplace, we tailor our services to the needs of our partners. Our work focuses on three impact areas: Education, Co-creation and Policy advice.
FAIRSPACE
EMANCIPATOR
Stop App
- launched in 2017 and reached its peak
- since then, users dropped drastically
- lack of users -> research is not as accurate as it could be
- through the app they are able to identify hotspots to which they can send enforcement, who are trained in identifying and dealing with street harassment
- no longer able to distribute fines because of freedom of speech law
Advice on how to react to a catcall:
- react in a way you think you are capable of
- recommended not to hit a cat caller as this can escalate the situation
- find a way to diffuse the situation and if possible to educate
Alice is together with Johannes but she doesn't have enough space to be herself. On a night out
with friends, she steals a strap-on and challenges her boyfriend's thoughts about girls. Everyone
thinks Alice goes too far but she doesn’t give in to group pressure. Johannes gets curious about
Alice's new side and together they discover something new about themselves.

SHORTFILM
F--K YOU
Interviews with survivors of Violence and Harassment at work. Created for 16 days of Activism for the Man Up Campaign in 2019 by Produced and Directed by Patricia Morueco Dominguez

INTERVIEW
VILLA MORAL TORRES
INTERVIEWS / FILMS
TALKS WITH
LOTTE FEESTRA
Click to listen to Lotte and I talking about the organisation 'Stop Straatintimidatie', where she volunteers as head of socials.
PROJECT
NASMAAK
Nasmaak is a business-card sized handout that challenges the behaviour of the man in question and seeks to educate, rather than escalate, the situation.

If someone comments, catcalls or harasses you, hand this card to the person and walk away. Please remember to assess the situation and judge whether you can exit safely.
KIMMY CLASS - USING GENERATORS
TITLE GENERATOR
5 Reasons STREET HARASSMENT Is A Waste Of Time
Why You Never See STREET HARASSMENT That Actually Works
Get Rid of STREET HARASSMENT Once and For All
What Is STREET HARASSMENT and How Does It Work?
10 GALLON
Through my work I attempt to examine the phenomenon of Spongebob as a methaphorical interpretation of both Banksy and Eating.

What began as a personal journey of It isism has translated into images of Sushi and Hand that resonate with Latino people to question their own Blueness.

My mixed media Dog embody an idiosyncratic view of Jesus, yet the familiar imagery allows for a connection between Kobe Bryant, Animals and Crepes.

My work is in the private collection of Huh? who said 'Fuck!, that's some real Cute Art.'

I am a recipient of a grant from Folsom Prison where I served time for stealing mugs and tie clips from the gift shop of The Het Nieeuw Instituut. I have exhibited in group shows at Burgers & Frites and Roodkapje, though not at the same time. I currently spend my time between my Toilet and Berlin.
500 LETTERS
Georgina Henry (°1997, Luxembourg, Luxembourg) is an artist who works in a variety of media. By demonstrating the omnipresent lingering of a ‘corporate world’, Henry often creates work using creative game tactics, but these are never permissive. Play is a serious matter: during the game, different rules apply than in everyday life and even everyday objects undergo transubstantiation.

Her artworks demonstrate how life extends beyond its own subjective limits and often tells a story about the effects of global cultural interaction over the latter half of the twentieth century. It challenges the binaries we continually reconstruct between Self and Other, between our own ‘cannibal’ and ‘civilized’ selves. By taking daily life as subject matter while commenting on the everyday aesthetic of middle class values, she tries to focus on the activity of presenting. The character, shape or content of the presented artwork is secondary. The essential things are the momentary and the intention of presenting.

Her works are characterised by the use of everyday objects in an atmosphere of middleclass mentality in which recognition plays an important role. By replaying the work for each exhibition and pushing the evocative power of the work a little further, her works references post-colonial theory as well as the avant-garde or the post-modern and the left-wing democratic movement as a form of resistance against the logic of the capitalist market system.

Her works are presented with the aim not to provide an idealistic view but to identify where light and the environment are important. The energy of a place and its emotional and spiritual vibrations are always important. Georgina Henry currently lives and works in Rotterdam.