When Cultural Borrowing Offends: Divergent Effects of Multiculturalist and Polyculturalist Ideologies

Diversity ideologies guide people’s responses to and evaluations of intercultural behaviors. We investigate how diversity ideologies affect how observers respond to cases of cultural borrowing, whether they are evaluated as appropriate or appropriative. We contrast the classical multiculturalist view with the emerging polyculturalist view. Both depart from colorblindness in endorsing cultural expression and recognition, but they differ in assumptions about purity and preservation. Multiculturalists, concerned with preservation of traditions, are more likely to feel uncomfortable with cultural mixing, leading to negative evaluations of the act of cultural borrowing. In contrast, polyculturalists, who assume that traditions constantly interact and evolve, are less likely to have purity concerns that color their evaluation of borrowing. Across correlational (Studies 1 and 2) and experimental studies (Studies 3a and 3b), multiculturalism predicts negative judgments of cultural borrowing, whereas polyculturalism predicts milder judgments. These divergent reactions are mediated by feelings of disgust. Thus, two diversity ideologies that both value cultural differences lead to opposing reactions given their differential assumptions about whether cultures should remain distinct and intact. These findings suggest potential moral implications of polyculturalism in the evaluation of cultural borrowing.