Religious Appropriation:
A Bridge Between the Foreign and the Familiar
The appropriation of foreign cultural or religious elements is often regarded as a controversial process. Especially in modern discourses surrounding cultural and religious identity, appropriation is frequently associated with negative connotations such as alienation or exploitation. However, it is worth examining the principle of appropriation more closely to understand that it does not necessarily have to be a destructive process. Rather, appropriation can be seen as a means of inner enrichment and reconciliation with what is perceived as foreign.
Appropriation involves making something foreign one’s own—whether it is an idea, a cultural symbol, or a religious ritual. This process of appropriation can occur in various ways: through physical practices, the adoption of customs, or through engaging with new forms of thinking and feeling. Contrary to common depictions, this process does not necessarily entail a simplistic adoption of superficial aspects. Rather, it requires a deeper engagement, an empathic understanding, and ultimately an internalization that integrates the foreign into one’s own life context.
An example of this principle of appropriation can be found in the philosophy of René Descartes (1596–1650). Descartes, who is considered the founder of Rationalism, appropriated ideas from foreign philosophical traditions to internalize them and integrate them into his own system. His engagement with the skeptical traditions of antiquity, such as Pyrrhonism, demonstrates how he initially adopted foreign thoughts—in this case, the radical questioning of all certainties. He made this skeptical stance his own to process it in his famous method of doubt. His aim was not merely to adopt foreign ideas but to internalize them so that they could serve as the foundation for his own philosophical system, which he summarized in the “Cogito, ergo sum” (I think, therefore I am).
In this sense, Descartes’ philosophical approach shows that appropriation can be understood as a creative act: by making foreign ideas one’s own, one can transform them and use them in ways that enrich and expand one’s own thinking. It is not about mere adoption but about a deeper engagement that integrates the foreign into one’s intellectual framework.
The foreign is often perceived as threatening, as something that stands outside one’s own culture or religion and thus requires a certain distance. Yet here, appropriation offers the possibility of a sensory and physical experience of the foreign that overcomes this distance. In Sigmund Freud’s essay “The Uncanny” (1919), the concept of the uncanny is discussed, which essentially describes the feeling that something familiar suddenly appears foreign and unsettling. Freud derives the word “uncanny” from “heimlich,” which means “homely” or “familiar.” The uncanny arises when what is familiar and homely suddenly feels foreign and strange. This often happens when something accustomed appears in a new, unexpected context.
When one engages in a spiritual practice of a foreign religion—be it prayer, meditation, or ritual action—one initially experiences this practice as foreign. However, the physical experience and engagement with the foreign can lead to discovering familiar elements within it. The initial foreignness transforms into something familiar, which is eventually perceived as enriching. This process of internalization shows that the “uncanny” does not always have to be fundamentally threatening; rather, it can be a discovery of the familiar within the foreign.
In this sense, a connection to religion can be established. Monotheistic religions often provide a framework in which familiarity and foreignness engage in dialogue. The concept of a single God embodying universal principles is found in many religions. The shared quest for a transcendent goal and the fundamental moral values that are similar across various monotheistic traditions can lead to the foreign revealing itself as part of a universal human experience. The religious practices and rituals that may initially seem foreign can, through the act of appropriation and experiencing them with one’s own body, be perceived as familiar and enriching.
The physical experience and internalization of the foreign make it possible to bridge the differences between religions and develop an expanded spiritual identity. By appropriating foreign religious elements, the uncanny ultimately becomes something familiar and homely, leading to a deeper reconciliation with the foreign and an enrichment of one’s own spiritual practice.
Religious appropriation can be understood as an act of reconciliation — reconciliation with the foreign and simultaneously with oneself. By appropriating foreign religious elements, one overcomes the dividing lines between “us” and “them.” This process opens up space for mutual understanding and recognition without abandoning one’s own identity. Rather, identity is expanded and enriched through appropriation.
In contrast to the often criticized superficial or appropriative appropriation, which strips religious symbols or rituals of their deeper meaning, a conscious, respectful appropriation is a process of learning and understanding. It creates a dialogue in which the foreign is not only adopted but also transformed—becoming a part of one’s own spiritual or cultural practice.
In a world increasingly marked by cultural and religious tensions, positive appropriation offers a way to build bridges. Appropriation as reconciliation and as a physical, sensory experience of the foreign can contribute to deepening understanding between cultures and religions. It not only promotes tolerance but also encourages an active engagement with the Other that broadens and enriches one’s own perspective.
Ali Gharib
Berlin, 2024