The term ‘authenticity’ can be used to describe a thing, including heritage objects, an experience, or a person. In all instances the term conjures up notions of originality, truth and sincerity, or a quality of being real as opposed to being fake. For example, we can speak about ‘an authentic tourist experience’ or about ‘the authentic self’ or ‘an authentic painting’. The notion of ‘authenticity’ has had a long history within the social sciences and humanities and is still commonly used in everyday life. Earlier definitions of authenticity eschewed ideas of commodification, placing greater emphasis on ideas of tradition. An object, for example an artefact in a museum, was deemed authentic if it was made by a traditional artist to serve a traditional function. Objects made for the consumer or tourist were deemed inauthentic. Such definitions have however come under significant criticism in recent years with some critics pointing out the socially-constructed nature of authenticity. Authenticity, in this sense, is negotiable. Such criticisms have led to the development of new ways of thinking about what is authentic, giving rise to terms such as ‘staged authenticity’, used, for example, to describe touristic experiences of particular cultural practices.
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Upcoming events
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- Vila-seca, Catalonia, Spain. June 17-20, 2025
The ATLAS Annual Conference 2025 is taking place from 17 to 20 June 2025 in Vila-seca, Catalonia, organised by the ATLAS Association for Tourism and Leisure Education and Research. The theme of the event of this year is Tourist destinations … Continue reading →
- Launch of new book: Creative Tourism, Regenerative Development, and Destination Resilience
The CREATOUR Observatory delivered the new interesting book Creative Tourism, Regenerative Development, and Destination Resilience. The book draws upon the international conference, “Creative Tourism, Regenerative Development, and Destination Resilience”, which was held 8 to 10 November 2022 in the Azores, … Continue reading →