A Study on High School Students’ Cognition of Cultural Appropriation: Taking Beijing No. 171 High School as an Example

Abstract

Cultural appropriation refers to the use of one cultural group’s elements by another. With increasing global cultural exchange, this phenomenon has drawn growing public attention. High school students, who are in a key stage of value formation, play an important role in future cultural development; understanding their cognition of cultural appropriation thus holds practical significance. Based on literature review, questionnaires, and interviews, this study finds that students can generally identify cultural appropriation and trace cultural origins. Their judgments mainly rely on commercial interests, historical authenticity, and cultural respect, with only slight differences in their tolerance toward domestic and foreign cases. Social media significantly shapes their attitudes. It is suggested that schools strengthen cultural knowledge education, develop cultural inquiry courses, and encourage students to create high-quality cultural content through social media platforms.