Fantastic read: "Yoga And The Maintenance Of White Womanhood" - a very good personal account of yoga and, analysis of how yoga has been commercialised/appropriated by upper class white women. I completely agree with 2 points:
1) " .... redefining of racism, a mechanism by which White people can claim they are free of prejudice by performing progressive, multicultural politics in public, while continuing to harbor and even voice deeply disturbing prejudices and resentments in private." Too often you will have people whisper something inappropriate to you, confide in you comments/observations which are clearly racist. Racism is also deeply embedded within class inequality. So, all privileged folks have something shitty to say about poor people in their own country or abroad.
2) "What these definitions miss entirely is that “culture” is not something material that exists separate from actual human beings. " When I first started working in the 'international space', a professional space where co-habited with folks from everywhere, I would often think: why are 'progressive seemingly-woke' Westerners so obsessed with the outer aspects of different culture? They love the food and clothing but do they actually have friends from different cultures, countries? Of course, this can be applied the other way round, too. How far did I have to walk to be able to make friends with someone from Europe or the US? How much do I have to accommodate that friend and their ignorance? I have always enjoying wearing shalwar kameez and cooking desi food for parties. These aspects were appreciated but it also felt like these were consumed but not much more was understood about where this culture/identity comes from.
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