Abstract: In light of the introduction of Lacanian theory to discussions on authenticity, current categorizations of authenticity cannot do the concept justice. Given that authenticity functions at both the unconscious and conscious levels, only performative apporaches can hope to capture the full richness of the term, for it is only in action, which is partly explicable and partly in explicable, that the contours of authenticity emerge. We also must consider how desire that is both conditioned by society and embodied in certain ways when at home, might be conditioned by society and embodied in alternative ways when on tour. Finally, a Lacanian point of view demands a more serious consideration of postmodern authenticity.
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The College of Arts