The Search for The Authentic: From Western Ideals to The Renaissance of “Slavicdom”

Abstract

The article explores the notion of authenticity in contemporary culture, taking into account references from philosophy, pop culture as well as from branding. Starting from Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s philosophical thought and Romanticism’s obsession with individualism, the idea of authenticity is intertwined with emotional openness, creative self-expression and non-conformity understood as the rejection of the mainstream culture. In 21st century, however, authenticity was turned into a commodity, something that can be bought, acquired or performed. The article aims to deconstruct the contemporary idea of authenticity and to analyse how it influences society and shapes trends such as rediscovering one’s roots on example of emerging “Slavic” community in Poland.