The Difference Between Syncretism and Appropriation

BY NICOLE LAU

"But cultures have always mixed!" This is a common defense of appropriation. And it's true—cultures do blend and influence each other. But there's a crucial difference between syncretism (organic cultural blending by people within those cultures) and appropriation (outsiders taking without permission or context). Understanding this difference is essential for knowing when mixing is ethical and when it's exploitative.

This article explores syncretism vs. appropriation, examining the power dynamics, historical context, and ethical distinctions. It shows why Santería (syncretism) is different from a white person mixing random practices (appropriation), and how to tell the difference. Because context matters. Power matters. And who's doing the mixing matters.

Understanding Syncretism

What It Is

Syncretism is:

• Organic blending of traditions by people within those cultures
• Often born from necessity, survival, or resistance
• Created by marginalized people navigating oppression
• Bottom-up cultural evolution
• Coherent systems, not random mixing

Historical Examples

Santería/Lukumí:

• Enslaved Yoruba people in Cuba
• Forced to convert to Catholicism
• Hid Orishas behind Catholic saints
• Created new religion blending both
• Survival and resistance, not appropriation

Vodou:

• Enslaved Africans in Haiti
• Blended West African Vodun with Catholicism
• Created under oppression
• Became tool of resistance and revolution
• Organic cultural creation

Candomblé:

• Afro-Brazilian religion
• Similar origins to Santería and Vodou
• Blending born from slavery and survival
• Created by people within those cultures

Hoodoo:

• African American folk magic
• Blends African, Native American, European practices
• Created by enslaved and freed Black people
• Survival magic in hostile environment

Key Characteristics of Syncretism

1. Created by people within the cultures

• Not outsiders taking and mixing
• People with lived experience and authority
• Their cultures to blend

2. Born from necessity or oppression

• Survival under colonization or slavery
• Resistance to forced conversion
• Navigating hostile systems
• Not privilege or choice

3. Coherent systems

• Not random mixing
• Thoughtful integration
• New traditions with internal logic
• Passed down through generations

4. Community-created and maintained

• Collective cultural evolution
• Not individual invention
• Held by communities
• Living traditions

Understanding Appropriation

What It Is

Appropriation is:

• Outsiders taking and mixing without permission
• Born from privilege and entitlement
• Created by dominant culture from marginalized cultures
• Top-down extraction
• Random mixing without coherence or understanding

Contemporary Examples

New Age "spiritual buffet":

• White practitioners mixing Indigenous, Hindu, Buddhist, African practices
• No connection to any of these cultures
• Cherry-picking what appeals
• No understanding of context or meaning
• Privilege, not survival

"Shamanic" practices:

• Non-Indigenous people claiming to be shamans
• Mixing practices from multiple Indigenous cultures
• No authorization or training
• Exploiting and distorting

Yoga fusion classes:

• Mixing yoga with unrelated practices
• Stripping Hindu roots
• Created by non-South Asians
• Commodifying and whitewashing

Key Characteristics of Appropriation

1. Created by outsiders

• Not from the cultures being mixed
• No lived experience or authority
• Taking what's not theirs

2. Born from privilege

• Choice, not necessity
• Entitlement to access everything
• No consequences for taking
• Power to extract without permission

3. Incoherent mixing

• Random combinations
• No understanding of what's being mixed
• Superficial engagement
• Treating cultures as resources

4. Individual invention

• Not community-created
• Personal spiritual shopping
• No accountability to communities
• Extractive, not relational

The Key Differences

Syncretism vs. Appropriation

Syncretism	Appropriation
By people within the cultures	By outsiders
Born from oppression/necessity	Born from privilege/choice
Survival and resistance	Consumption and extraction
Bottom-up cultural evolution	Top-down taking
Coherent systems	Random mixing
Community-created	Individual invention
Generations of development	Instant creation
Living traditions	Personal spiritual shopping
Accountable to communities	No accountability
Marginalized creating	Dominant taking

Power Dynamics Matter

Why Context Is Everything

Syncretism happens when:

• Marginalized people blend their own cultures
• Under oppression or for survival
• Creating new traditions from their heritage
• No power imbalance is exploited

Appropriation happens when:

• Dominant culture takes from marginalized
• From privilege and entitlement
• Extracting from others' cultures
• Power imbalance is exploited

Example: Santería vs. New Age mixing

• Santería: Enslaved Yoruba people blending their religion with forced Catholicism = syncretism (survival)
• New Age: White person mixing Orishas, chakras, and smudging = appropriation (privilege)

Same action (mixing), different context, different ethics.

Can Outsiders Ever Mix?

The Nuanced Answer

Generally no, but with caveats:

You cannot create syncretism as outsider:

• Syncretism is created by people within cultures
• You can't replicate conditions of oppression that created it
• Your mixing from privilege is appropriation, not syncretism

You can practice eclectically with ethics:

• Combining open practices (not closed)
• With proper learning and attribution
• Respecting boundaries
• Not claiming to create new syncretic tradition
• Staying humble about what you're doing

The difference:

• Syncretism: "My people created this tradition blending our cultures"
• Ethical eclecticism: "I practice these open traditions respectfully"
• Appropriation: "I'm creating my own tradition mixing whatever I want"

Common Defenses (That Don't Work)

Addressing Pushback

"But I'm creating my own syncretism!"

• No, you're appropriating
• Syncretism is created by people within cultures under specific conditions
• You're mixing from privilege, not necessity
• Call it eclectic practice, not syncretism

"But cultures have always mixed!"

• Yes, but context matters
• Syncretism ≠ appropriation
• Power dynamics determine ethics
• Not all mixing is equal

"But I'm honoring all these traditions!"

• Mixing without permission isn't honoring
• You're treating cultures as resources
• Honor means respecting boundaries
• This is extraction, not honor

Respecting Existing Syncretism

How to Engage

With syncretic traditions like Santería, Vodou, Candomblé:

• Respect them as complete religions
• Don't practice without initiation
• Don't cherry-pick elements
• Learn about them, don't appropriate from them
• Support practitioners from those traditions

Don't:

• Take elements from syncretic traditions for your practice
• Claim they're "universal" because they're already mixed
• Use their mixing as excuse for your appropriation
• Treat them as less legitimate because they're syncretic

Building Ethical Eclectic Practice

What You Can Do

Instead of claiming syncretism:

1. Be honest: "I practice eclectically" not "I'm creating syncretism"
2. Use only open practices: Don't mix closed traditions
3. Learn properly: From authorized sources
4. Give credit: Always acknowledge origins
5. Stay humble: You're not creating new tradition
6. Respect boundaries: Some things aren't for mixing

Crystals for Discernment

Understanding the Difference

Wisdom and clarity:

• Sodalite: Truth, seeing distinctions clearly
• Lapis lazuli: Wisdom, understanding context
• Amethyst: Spiritual discernment, humility

Honesty and Accountability

• Clear quartz: Clarity about what you're doing
• Obsidian: Truth, facing reality
• Smoky quartz: Grounding in honesty

How to Use

• Hold when examining your practice
• Meditate with to understand distinctions
• Use to stay honest about what you're doing
• Keep as reminder of ethical boundaries

Teaching This Distinction

Helping Others Understand

Key points to emphasize:

• Context and power dynamics matter
• Syncretism is created by people within cultures
• Appropriation is taking by outsiders
• Same action, different ethics based on who's doing it

Examples to use:

• Santería (syncretism) vs. New Age mixing (appropriation)
• Hoodoo (syncretism) vs. white person mixing African practices (appropriation)
• Show how power and context change everything

Integration: Context Is Everything

Syncretism and appropriation can look similar on the surface—both involve mixing traditions. But context, power dynamics, and who's doing the mixing make all the difference.

Syncretism is created by people within cultures, often under oppression, as survival and resistance. Appropriation is taking by outsiders from privilege and entitlement. Syncretism is bottom-up cultural evolution. Appropriation is top-down extraction.

You cannot create syncretism as an outsider. You can practice eclectically with ethics, but don't claim to be creating new syncretic traditions. Be honest about what you're doing. Respect the difference. Honor actual syncretism by not appropriating from it.

Context matters. Power matters. Who's mixing matters. Always.

Next in this series: Cultural Exchange in the Digital Age: New Challenges