[name_m]Hi[/name_m],
I’d really like some informed opinions about the name [name_f]Indira[/name_f] being used by people not part of the culture.
The name has entered the top 1000 from being very rare in the US previously.
No, it is not cultural appropriation. Unless every name outside your own ancestry is that, which would be nonsense.
[name_u]Leslie[/name_u]
The word cultural appropriation gets thrown around so often it barely has any meaning anymore.
In this case, it seems like you’ve made the effort to learn about the name. [name_m]Just[/name_m] my perspective, but I wouldn’t use a name like [name_f]Indira[/name_f] for the same reason I wouldn’t use [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] (even though my ancestors came from [name_f]Ireland[/name_f] way back in the day), it just feels strange. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if given 100% explicit permission from people within said culture, I just wouldn’t want to explain why I picked the name or ever feel like I needed to defend my choice.
I would agree with the previous sentiment that it is not cultural appropriation! I adopted sisters that were from a different culture than my husband and I. We renamed them, as we felt they were given inappropriate and/or poor names from their birth mother.
This was three years ago, and people have asked why we didn’t give them names that went with their culture, as if it was somehow a racist act to deprive them of their ‘cultural’ names. If we had kept them, undoubtedly there would be people asking why we didn’t ‘normalize’ their names to better fit with my and my husbands ‘culture’. A person is a person. Culture is not something babies can choose. Someone will have an opinion no matter what you choose.
Besides that, there are many names from other cultures that have become globally popularized. Did you know the name [name_f]Mary[/name_f] used to be considered too sacred to be used? Sort of like how most English speakers wouldn’t name their child [name_m]Jesus[/name_m]–yet it’s perfectly acceptable in hispanic cultures. Naming trends change. I think you should choose what has meaning to you, and what you think will not be a burden on your children. Those ought to be the only criteria.
I’m not sure where I picked this up, but at some point in college I picked up this checklist:
- Think about how various people of the culture in question might respond to what you’re saying/doing. Can you see someone being reasonably offended in any scenario?
- Is what you’re saying/doing respectful to the origins and traditions it should acknowledge?
- Is what you’re saying/doing perpetuating any stereotypes about the culture in question?
It is still tricky to disentangle this question for me. But I think that your answer to number 2 would be yes (you are aware of the origins, would be willing to share/educate others on the background of your thoughtful choice, etc.), and your answer to number 3 would be no. So all good there. But as for number 1, I can see someone being reasonably offended at the colonialist context. Many people feel that while [name_f]Indian[/name_f] culture is still vibrant and rich and thriving, the Commonwealth stripped and siphoned many resources, riches, and treasures from [name_f]Indian[/name_f] culture. I can see how someone might reasonably argue that taking one of the beloved names of [name_f]Indian[/name_f] culture for a white child living in historically Commonwealth nation with ancestry tied to the colonizing offenders could be viewed as a continuation of that siphoning on a metaphorical level. I don’t think that’s how most people would react (as you have experienced yourself, feedback will likely be mostly positive) but I do see how it could reasonably be seen as appropriation.
I do believe that the answer would be different if you were specifically naming your daughter specifically after someone. I don’t think that would be appropriation at all. In one of the recent threads on feminist power names, I did suggest [name_f]Indira[/name_f] as a choice a la Ghandi. But then you have to decide if your tie to the name is as specific as that, and she doesn’t seem to be your main tie to the name. I also think she is an incredibly contentious and problematic historical figure that I’m not sure I WOULD name after, but she was indeed an incredibly powerful woman in a society where that level of power is frequently simply not possible to attain.
This is an issue for me because I am a self-identified Indomaniac. I love so much about [name_f]Indian[/name_f] culture, which definitely extends to its super rich bank of gorgeous names. If I didn’t think it were borderline appropriation, I would so be looking at:
Sita
Chandni
Shalani
[name_f]Ishani[/name_f]
[name_f]Aishwarya[/name_f]
Nitala
Kavita
[name_f]Gita[/name_f]
Mumtaz
Saraswati
[name_f]Kamala[/name_f] (yet another name for [name_f]Lakshmi[/name_f])
[name_f]Parvati[/name_f]
[name_m]Manju[/name_m]
Preeti
Punim
Yasomati
I have so many positive associations with these names from [name_f]Indian[/name_f] film and literature that I’d consider them in a heartbeat if I felt I had any right to claim them for a daughter of my own. But I just don’t personally feel I do have any right.
One I would look at genuinely for the namesake associated would be Vandana, for Vandana [name_f]Shiva[/name_f], one of my idols. I would definitely name my daughter after her without question. Hubby vetoed it this time around, though.
I think the history of violent colonization should be enough to keep people from it. But I agree with medfordkung - this is pretty appropriative. White people have literally every name available to us, I think encroaching on something that is uniquely [name_f]Indian[/name_f] isn’t ok. European beauty standards span more than just physical beauty, it spans to names, too and because of that, I would be very concerned about using an [name_f]Indian[/name_f] name when you are not [name_f]Indian[/name_f].
Oppression and power dynamic are a big deal here - white Caucasian people have historically oppressed and colonized [name_f]India[/name_f]. Romanticizing this relationship is erasure of history and completely overlooks and disrespects the oppression and effects of colonization [name_f]India[/name_f] still faces today. As a white woman - this name isn’t for us. We aren’t actually entitled to every single thing on the planet.
Thank you to these very thoughtful responses. I hadnt been aware of appropriation and not in this way. Its something im educating myself about because names are so impirtant to get right! You have all been incredibly thorough with your answers. Thank you.
I give you huge props for asking and trying to be aware, that’s a huge first step.
It’s not so black-and-white. Here’s an example: [name_f]Uma[/name_f] [name_m]Thurman[/name_m]’s father [name_m]Robert[/name_m] [name_m]Thurman[/name_m] is a noted scholar of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and close friend of the Dalai Lama. In the sixties he became the first American to be ordained a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Has Professor [name_m]Thurman[/name_m] condoned and romanticized colonialism and oppression of [name_f]Indian[/name_f] peoples by naming his daughter “[name_f]Uma[/name_f] Karuna?” Personally I don’t think he has, though it could still be considered appropriation.
You mentioned the singer [name_f]Indira[/name_f] Aradinović. There’s also [name_f]Indira[/name_f] [name_m]Radi[/name_m]ć, a Serbian singer, and [name_f]Indira[/name_f] [name_m]Vladi[/name_m]ć, a Croatian singer. Apparently it became somewhat popular during the [name_f]Non[/name_f]-Aligned Movement:
https://www.quora.com/When-did-the-female-name-Indira-became-popular-in-the-former-Yugoslavia In 1982, a local newspaper published a letter written by [name_f]Indira[/name_f] Gandhi to a 5-year-old Bosnian girl also named [name_f]Indira[/name_f]:
The twist of fate led to young [name_f]Indira[/name_f] Kevrić celebrating her 5th birthday on the day [name_f]Indira[/name_f] Gandhi was elected the new Prime Minister. The Kevrić family wrote a letter to PM Gandhi, congratulating her for the new position, sending best wishes for both their nations and telling [name_f]Indira[/name_f] Gandhi how they named their daughter after her.
25 days later, a letter from [name_m]New[/name_m] Delhi arrived to the Grada”ac post office.
Dear Indira,
Thank you for your letter. It is very kind of you to write to me after being elected Prime Minister of India. It is an interesting coincidence that my election was on the same day as your birthday.
It may be interesting to tell you that not only in Yugoslavia, but USSR, Czechoslovakia and Ghana a lot of little girls are named Indira.
I hope you’ll have a special interest in India in the future and that you will have a chance to visit our country one day. That will help strengthening the relationship and friendship of our two nations.
Best wishes to you and your family.
Faithfully yours,
Indira Gandhi
It seems [name_f]Indira[/name_f] Gandhi herself did not mind the name being used outside of [name_f]India[/name_f].
(Also want to agree with @medfordkung about [name_f]Indira[/name_f] Gandhi - I think lots of [name_f]Indian[/name_f] people view her as a somewhat corrupt, authoritarian leader.)
I like what this blogger has to say (some thought-provoking links/ideas in the comments section too):
“When it comes to cultural appropriation, analyze the situation. Look for willful ignorance, thoughtless disrespect, or exploitation for profit. Those are the litmus tests for the ugly stuff that deserves to be called out. On the other hand, if what you’re seeing is a blending of cultures based on understanding, respect, and mutual benefit, then get your ‘one love’ on and let that s*** go.”
Thanks for reading and sorry this is jumbled. Basically, it’s complicated and not necessarily exploitative/appropriative but definitely depends. Good luck.
Names come from all over the place and form hundreds of different languages these days. I wouldn’t worry about it.