Reflective Authenticity: Rethinking the Project of Modernity is a challenging consideration of what remains of ambitious Enlightenment ideas such as democracy, freedom and universality in the wake of relativist, postmodern thought. Do clashes over gender, race and culture mean that universal notions such as justice or rights no longer apply outside our own communities? Do our actions lose their authenticity if we act on principles that transcend the confines of our particular communities ? Alessandro Ferrara proposes a path out of this impasse via the notion of reflective authenticity. Drawing on Aristotle, Kants concept of reflective judgement and Heideggers theory of reflexive self-grounding, Reflective Authenticity: Rethinking the Project of Modernity takes a fresh look at the state of Critical Theory today and the sustainability of postmodern politics.

It will be essential reading for all those interested in continental philosophy, political and social theory and pyschoananlysis.

Developing inner wisdom as a leadership strength Leading with Spirit, Presence, and Authenticity presents the perspectives of leaders, social scientists, and educators from around the world on the topic of developing inner wisdom. Structured around the notions of spirit, presence, and authenticity, the book encourages readers to reflect on their own lives as they read about their colleagues' diverse experiences, all in an effort to address difficult global systems challenges with a foundation of various wisdom lineages and practices. Each chapter is introduced by an editor with deep background experience in the topic at hand, and the book includes an examination of research on the essential nature of authenticity among leaders. Stories of leadership initiative from across nations illustrate the truly global nature of leadership inspiration, and accounts of teaching mindfulness, guiding leaders, and leading in the arts and humanities integrate critical theory with authentic leadership development. Topics include: Subtle interdependencies involved in modern leadership The contribution of sociological mindfulness to leadership education Authentic leadership as communicated through technology The role of spirit, and what the world needs from leaders A diverse mix of contributors, including a Sufi teacher, a social science journal editor, and a CEO, provide a truly inclusive examination of the ways a leader is defined by self and others. Leading with Spirit, Presence, and Authenticity, a volume in the International Leadership Series Building Leadership Bridges from the International Leadership Association, helps connect ways of researching, imagining, and experiencing leadership across cultures, over time, and around the world.

This book examines the conceptual underpinnings of authentic leadership to discover why so little attention has been paid to gender. The author explores the failure to interrogate the complexities surrounding the concept of authenticity, especially as it relates to the diversity of lived experience.

This is the first book-length study on how authors of color present themselves in public literary discourse. The study utilizes data obtained from and around exemplary empirical case study participants – Junot Diaz, Madeleine Thien, and Mohsin Hamid. Relevant data includes the case study authors’ Twitter usage and the impact of the digital sphere in author self-presentation. Dr Iyer employs a combined theoretical framework of discourse analysis and interactional sociolinguistics, with an awareness of literary and creative writing studies. The theoretical approach uses four metapragmatic stereotypes regarding what constitutes an ‘authentic’ author. The theoretical approach and metapragmatic stereotype form an evaluative framework that can be applied on diverse data to replicate findings. The study originated from the author’s own exposure to prevailing literary discourse through public engagements as a writer. She became aware of the problematic nature of an author’s public self-presentation, with a requirement to ‘be yourself’. Each celebrity author of color faces a paradoxical positioning within literary discourse as a result of that requirement. Through her study, Dr Iyer sought to discover how authors of color negotiate themselves in public spheres, including digital social media platforms, in order to accomplish ‘authenticity’ discursively. This book is ideal for learners and practitioners in creative writing who are seeking strategies for self-presentation as published authors. It is also valuable for researchers in discourse analysis, including literary discourse and social media discourse, providing an empirical means of evaluating ‘authenticity’ as understood in contemporary times.

A theoretically rich and vividly written ethnography of folklore revival and performance in Eastern Europe that provocatively embraces larger questions of social theory, authenticity, and philosophy.

The volume provides a critical assessment of the concept of authenticity and gauges its role, significance and shortcomings in a variety of disciplinary contexts. Many of the contributions communicate with each other and thus acknowledge the enormous significance of this politically, morally, philosophically and economically-charged concept that at the same time harbors dangerous implications and has been critically deconstructed. The volume shows that the alleged need or desire for authenticity is alive and kicking but oftentimes comes at a high price, connected to a culture of experts, authority and exclusionary strategies.