It’s been a little over a decade since I finished a masters degree in a subject I do not use at all in my daily life now. So I’m not unfamiliar with critical theory, but it’s just been a good minute.
I’m not even sure what my question is yet but I’m just gonna try to state what I’m interested in and curious about right now and would love reading recommendations on these topics please if anyone would be so kind!
I am white and I am donor conceived, and I grew up in an area that is predominantly Mexican-American. I am also a singer who is trying to get back into singing and not sure what repertory to dig into anymore.
I grew up curious about my heritage, but as a young adult, found out that the European ancestry I thought I had was not correct (still European, just a different flavor). I had spent time and energy learning about a heritage that wasn’t even mine and I feel completely disconnected from my actual heritage. Simultaneously, I am proud to be from the area I was born and raised in, which is home to a culture that also isn’t truly “mine” as a white person.
As a singer, I have long loved jazz and Latin American music. I grew up loving and wanting to emulate these singers’ vocal styles, but as an adult, I feel constantly conflicted about what is really “mine” to sing.
My first crack at trying to articulate my questions in no particular order: What can I read about this topic of white people not feeling like we have any cultural heritage to speak of and the urge to borrow from other cultures in (artistic) performance? Where is the ethical line where performing music from another cultural tradition is or is not okay? How do I figure out ethically what I can sing? What counts as “my culture”, at the end of the day? How can I take pride in all the cultural uniqueness of my hometown, which is not even really mine to identify with?