| Summary: | This thesis is about cultural appropriation in marketing and advertising. Furthermore, it studies the experiences of Sámi people in relation to cultural appropriation in marketing materials – it studies how cultural appropriation affects the ways that Sámi people experience their culture. The context of this research is the Sámi people living in Finland. This is because even though more discussions about cultural appropriation are held even in Finland there seems to be a certain blindness towards the appropriation of Sámi culture. The Sámi are not seen as a separate people, but as Finns or at least as “our own indigenous people”, and thus oftentimes the cultural appropriation towards the Sámi is not registered as cultural appropriation by Finns. However, the Sámi experience the phenomenon as cultural appropriation and it can have consequences on the people’s experiences of their culture. The research is interpretive and has a post-positivist perspective. It assumes a relativist ontology that believes that reality is a finite subjective experience that comprises of multiple constructed realities. To study this topic, qualitative data was gathered in twelve semi-structured in-depth interviews with representatives of the Sámi community. This method was chosen because in-depth interviews can be used to thoroughly explore an interviewee’s point of view, logic, experiences, and feelings, and they can help to learn about the perceived meanings and beliefs behind actions and events. The underlying theme throughout the results is that instances of cultural appropriation in marketing and advertising cannot be studied in isolation since they reflect the broader social phenomena of the subordination of the Sámi and the negative attitudes towards them. Appropriating in marketing materials can also solidify existing stereotypes and inaccurate beliefs about the Sámi. Compared to appropriation in different contexts, commodification of Sámi culture by outsiders is seen especially insulting since it is done to gain financial ...
|
|---|