Authenticity in Culture, Self, and Society

Across sociology and cultural studies in particular, the concept of authenticity has begun to occupy a central role, yet in spite of its popularity as an ideal and philosophical value authenticity notably suffers from a certain vagueness, with work in this area tending to borrow ideas from outside of sociology, whilst failing to present empirical studies which centre on the concept itself. Authenticity in Culture, Self, and Society addresses the problems surrounding this concept, offering a sociological analysis of it for the first time in order to provide readers in the social and cultural sciences with a clear conceptualization of authenticity and with a survey of original empirical studies focused on its experience, negotiation, and social relevance at the levels of self, culture and specific social settings.

Phillip Vannini is Associate Professor in the School of Communication and Culture, Royal Roads University, Canada J. Patrick Williams is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Contents: Authenticity in culture, self and society, Philip Vannini and J. Patrick Williams. Part 1 The Value, Concept, and Ideal of Authenticity: Authenticity without a true self, Alessandro Ferrara; Self-authenticity as master motive, Andrew J. Weigert; The importance of insincerity and inauthenticity for self and society: why honesty is not the best policy, Dennis D. Waskul; Ideology and practice of authenticity in punk subculture, Philip Lewin and J. Patrick Williams. Part 2 The Personal Experience and Practice of Authenticity: Authenticity: perspectives and experiences, Alexis T. Franzese; Authenticity as motivation and aesthetic experience, Philip Vannini and Sarah Burgess; The everyday work and auspices of authenticity, Jaber F. Gubrium and James A. Holstein; We wear the mask: subordinated masculinity and the persona trap, Michel Schwalbe; Pop music as a resource for assembling an authentic self: a phenomenological-existential perspective, Joseph A. Kotarba. Part 3 The Interactional Production, Exchange, and Consumption of Authenticity: Consuming authenticity: a paradoxical dynamic in contemporary capitalism, Jörn Lamla; Saying what we mean; meaning what we say: authentic dialogue in aboriginal communities, Joshua Guilar and Lynn Charman; Performing authentic selfhood in an intentional community, Daphne Holden and Douglas Schrock; Embodying ideologies in tourism: a commemorative visitor book in Israel as a site of authenticity, Chaim Noy; Emotional performances as dramas of authenticity, E. Doyle McCarthy; Alternate authenticities and 9/11: the cultural conditions underlying conspiracy theories, Gary J. Krug; Index.