authenticity and identity: lifestyle experiences dr matt frew

Authenticity and Identity: Lifestyle Experiences

Authenticity and Identity: Lifestyle Experiences

Dr Matt FrewDr Matt Frew

Lecture FormatLecture Format

Events: a philosophical problem? Modernity, Authenticity & Events Staged Authenticity and Postmodern

Lifestyles Experiential Events: navigating the ‘real’

Events: a philosophical problem? Modernity, Authenticity & Events Staged Authenticity and Postmodern

Lifestyles Experiential Events: navigating the ‘real’

Events: a philosophical problem?Events: a philosophical problem? Philosophy (Plato, Descartes, Hume, Kant to Hawking - our

relationship with and understanding of the universe, the world, others and ourselves

Knowing, reasoning self: Human becomes the centre of the universe

Human mastery of nature/scientific exploration Modernity: coincides with philosophical commitments to ‘truth’,‘rationality’, ‘rationalisation’ and ‘progress’:

Scientific analysis is the means by which the world will come to be known, and with ‘humanism’ - the centring of the human subject as the wellspring of knowledge and good.’ (Fox, 1993: 7)

Events: a philosophical problem?Events: a philosophical problem? Modernity – a social process usually associated with industrialisation and

urbanisation (epochal) Modernism –a set of ideas that emerged from the 17th C Enlightenment

belief in progress and the irrecoverable power of rational thought to provide emancipation

Moving away from the restrictions of religion, custom and tradition, human reason would provide liberty from the pre-modern period, taming the natural through the application of rational tools of science

Whatever the nomenclature, the epochal changes wrought by the clash of intellectual discourse and material change is worth exploring in relation to how events and the experiences of events is understood

Modernity, Authenticity & Events


Modernity: out of chaos: order, design, structure - creating meaning/identity. The fight against ambivalence, indeterminacy, and undecidibility (Bauman, 1992)

Liberating the self: Sorting and dominating the materiality of ‘nature’ and its inhabitants Techno centric; science/positivism/teleology – improved techniques of

governance Demarcate human from land, rural/urban or city/country differentiation Brave new world: free of want, scarcity, pestilence and famine (Enlightenment

progress) Identity/meaning creation: And man said ‘Let there be…and there was…’:

civilizing the noble savage

Culture (events) reflections of liberation, civilisation and progress

Modernity: out of chaos: order, design, structure - creating meaning/identity. The fight against ambivalence, indeterminacy, and undecidibility (Bauman, 1992)

Liberating the self: Sorting and dominating the materiality of ‘nature’ and its inhabitants Techno centric; science/positivism/teleology – improved techniques of

governance Demarcate human from land, rural/urban or city/country differentiation Brave new world: free of want, scarcity, pestilence and famine (Enlightenment

progress) Identity/meaning creation: And man said ‘Let there be…and there was…’:

civilizing the noble savage

Culture (events) reflections of liberation, civilisation and progress



Authenticity: a modernist concept associated with ‘truth’, ‘depth’ and ‘reality’ – a fixed and stable entity; provides a rootedness

Refers to a state of ‘existence usually contrasted with the falseness and artificiality of modern life. The production of objects, actions and experiences are uncontaminated with commercial motives. Authentic locations are contrasted with commercialized tourist and leisure sites’ (Harris, 2005: 24)

Links to: a philosophical quest for ‘deep meaning’ concept of freedom

Authenticity: a modernist concept associated with ‘truth’, ‘depth’ and ‘reality’ – a fixed and stable entity; provides a rootedness

Refers to a state of ‘existence usually contrasted with the falseness and artificiality of modern life. The production of objects, actions and experiences are uncontaminated with commercial motives. Authentic locations are contrasted with commercialized tourist and leisure sites’ (Harris, 2005: 24)

Links to: a philosophical quest for ‘deep meaning’ concept of freedom



Authentic experiences set in motion a search for the undiscovered, unique and pure The ‘aura’ (Benjamin, 1936) of events - ‘I was there’ landmark

experiences sought (Woodstock or Glastonbury; Queen/Live Aid or Oasis/Kenbworth; Rumble in Jungle or Munich Olympics)

This is becoming increasingly difficult– only variations on a theme remain

The search for ‘authenticity’ is now pre-packaged and sold at a premium

Now distinguish between objective, personal and constructed authenticity (Jamal and Hill, 2002)

Authentic experiences set in motion a search for the undiscovered, unique and pure The ‘aura’ (Benjamin, 1936) of events - ‘I was there’ landmark

experiences sought (Woodstock or Glastonbury; Queen/Live Aid or Oasis/Kenbworth; Rumble in Jungle or Munich Olympics)

This is becoming increasingly difficult– only variations on a theme remain

The search for ‘authenticity’ is now pre-packaged and sold at a premium

Now distinguish between objective, personal and constructed authenticity (Jamal and Hill, 2002)

Staged Authenticity and Postmodern Lifestyles


Staged authenticity - concept pioneered by MacCannell (1976) the replication and packaging of past cultural ‘events, epochs, or ways of life’ (Taylor, 2001: 33) events packaged for touristic consumption

Taps into the nostalgia and romantacism of past life and experiences

‘Not every component of the experience need be authentic (or even satisfactory) so long as the combination of elements generates the required nostalgic

feeling.’ (Chhabra, et al, 2005: 705)

The staged or replicated reconstruction fulfills a present need for a sense of belonging, solidarity or rooted identity

‘In the case of events, authenticity is linked to the reproduction of rituals and cultural traits as genuinely and accurately as possible to the original form’

(McCartney and Osti, (2007: 28)

Staged authenticity - concept pioneered by MacCannell (1976) the replication and packaging of past cultural ‘events, epochs, or ways of life’ (Taylor, 2001: 33) events packaged for touristic consumption

Taps into the nostalgia and romantacism of past life and experiences

‘Not every component of the experience need be authentic (or even satisfactory) so long as the combination of elements generates the required nostalgic

feeling.’ (Chhabra, et al, 2005: 705)

The staged or replicated reconstruction fulfills a present need for a sense of belonging, solidarity or rooted identity

‘In the case of events, authenticity is linked to the reproduction of rituals and cultural traits as genuinely and accurately as possible to the original form’

(McCartney and Osti, (2007: 28)



Comfort in the staging points of the construction of postmodern lifestyles

Postmodernism - ‘refers to the cultural and intellectual phenomena, to the production, consumption and distribution of symbolic goods…the forsaking of foundationalism…the blurring of boundries between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture; the collapse of hierarchies of knowledge, taste and opinion’ (Lyon, 1999: 10)

Lifestyle Identities - the fluid construction of identity mapped around consumer behaviour and meanings, which provides a ‘modern form of status grouping’ (Chaney, 1996: 14)

Events - feed experiences of postmodern pastiche of meanings that provide comfort of rooted connection whilst individualised distance

Comfort in the staging points of the construction of postmodern lifestyles

Postmodernism - ‘refers to the cultural and intellectual phenomena, to the production, consumption and distribution of symbolic goods…the forsaking of foundationalism…the blurring of boundries between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture; the collapse of hierarchies of knowledge, taste and opinion’ (Lyon, 1999: 10)

Lifestyle Identities - the fluid construction of identity mapped around consumer behaviour and meanings, which provides a ‘modern form of status grouping’ (Chaney, 1996: 14)

Events - feed experiences of postmodern pastiche of meanings that provide comfort of rooted connection whilst individualised distance

Experiential Events: navigating the ‘real’


All cultures are reinvented, reorganised and retold (Crick, 1989) or packaged and mythologized (Quinn, 2003) - we ‘always experience a distorted past…a dynamic [re]presentation of current values and beliefs (Muller and Pettersson, 2006: 56)

Places and Events of Postmodern Pastiche - (e.g. Disneyworld (Paris/Florida), Terra Mitica (Spain), Battle of Gettysburg, USA)

Potential of staging authenticity in events needs to be tempered:

‘Commoditisation occurs when community activities are altered to meet the needs and expectations of tourists, thus eroding the integrity,

authenticity and traditional value of the culture’ (Dimmock and Tiyce: 2001: 368)

All cultures are reinvented, reorganised and retold (Crick, 1989) or packaged and mythologized (Quinn, 2003) - we ‘always experience a distorted past…a dynamic [re]presentation of current values and beliefs (Muller and Pettersson, 2006: 56)

Places and Events of Postmodern Pastiche - (e.g. Disneyworld (Paris/Florida), Terra Mitica (Spain), Battle of Gettysburg, USA)

Potential of staging authenticity in events needs to be tempered:

‘Commoditisation occurs when community activities are altered to meet the needs and expectations of tourists, thus eroding the integrity,

authenticity and traditional value of the culture’ (Dimmock and Tiyce: 2001: 368)



Suffocating locality or reinvigorating culture - issues of heritage erosion/real OR renews tradition and instills pride Protect cultural past where ‘emergent authenticity’ allows ‘real’ (for insider)

and ‘invented’ (for outsider) live side by side OR Brigadoon effect Replicate the replica? - Oktoberfest, Memorial Stadium, Charlotte, US)

Flora McDonald Scottish Highland Games, North Carolina, US)

Problem/Potential with ‘Real’: More about authorized than authentic readings - who decides? the staged authenticity produces its own ‘aura’ possibilities to enchant

postmodern lifestyles

‘Festival is an arena where indigenous heritage is displayed, tested, contested and re-negotiated’ (Muller and Pettersson, 2006: 67)

Suffocating locality or reinvigorating culture - issues of heritage erosion/real OR renews tradition and instills pride Protect cultural past where ‘emergent authenticity’ allows ‘real’ (for insider)

and ‘invented’ (for outsider) live side by side OR Brigadoon effect Replicate the replica? - Oktoberfest, Memorial Stadium, Charlotte, US)

Flora McDonald Scottish Highland Games, North Carolina, US)

Problem/Potential with ‘Real’: More about authorized than authentic readings - who decides? the staged authenticity produces its own ‘aura’ possibilities to enchant

postmodern lifestyles

‘Festival is an arena where indigenous heritage is displayed, tested, contested and re-negotiated’ (Muller and Pettersson, 2006: 67)

authenticity and identity: lifestyle experiences dr matt frew

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