Martin: The book is a book of enormous scope, chronologically, geographically and thematically. It moves from ancient Egypt in the beginning to K-pop in the end,. From Mughal, India to medieval Germany, taking in poetry and sculpture among other things. He says he wanted to distill some of these important moments, turning points that sort of illustrate to me how culture really works.
In an age where the line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation seems ever more blurred, can anyone actually own a culture? In this conversation acclaimed author and public intellectual Martin Puchner explains that the history of mankind has always been a story of borrowing from one another and that this is something to be celebrated, not lamented. The idea of ownership implicit in debates about cultural appropriation, he argues, presents an insular tale about how culture evolves — flattening out the complicated textures of human history and, in the end, what truly makes us us. Our host for this discussion is Edward Wilson Lee, fellow and lecturer at Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices