Creating Authenticity


Book Description

‘Authenticity’ and authentication is at the heart of museums’ concerns in displays, objects, and interaction with visitors. These notions have formed a central element in early thought on culture and collecting. Nineteenth century-explorers, commissioned museum collectors and pioneering ethnographers attempted to lay bare the essences of cultures through collecting and studying objects from distant communities. Comparably, historical archaeology departed from the idea that cultures were discrete bounded entities, subject to divergence but precisely therefore also to be traced back and linked to, a more complete original form in de (even) deeper past. Much of what we work with today in ethnographic museum collections testifies to that conviction. Post-structural thinking brought about a far-reaching deconstruction of the authentic. It came to be recognized that both far-away communities and the deep past can only be discussed when seen as desires, constructions and inventions. Notwithstanding this undressing of the ways in which people portray their cultural surroundings and past, claims of authenticity and quests for authentication remain omnipresent. This book explores the authentic in contemporary ethnographic museums, as it persists in dialogues with stakeholders, and how museums portray themselves. How do we interact with questions of authenticity and authentication when we curate, study artefacts, collect, repatriate, and make (re)presentations? The contributing authors illustrate the divergent nature in which the authentic is brought into play, deconstructed and operationalized. Authenticity, the book argues, is an expression of a desire that is equally troubled as it is resilient.




Creating Authenticity


Book Description

Thought provoking questions designed to stimulate authentic conversation and meaningful self-reflection.




Creating Country Music


Book Description

In Creating Country Music, Richard Peterson traces the development of country music and its institutionalization from Fiddlin' John Carson's pioneering recordings in Atlanta in 1923 to the posthumous success of Hank Williams. Peterson captures the free-wheeling entrepreneurial spirit of the era, detailing the activities of the key promoters who sculpted the emerging country music scene. More than just a history of the music and its performers, this book is the first to explore what it means to be authentic within popular culture. "[Peterson] restores to the music a sense of fun and diversity and possibility that more naive fans (and performers) miss. Like Buck Owens, Peterson knows there is no greater adventure or challenge than to 'act naturally.'"—Ken Emerson, Los Angeles Times Book Review "A triumphal history and theory of the country music industry between 1920 and 1953."—Robert Crowley, International Journal of Comparative Sociology "One of the most important books ever written about a popular music form."—Timothy White, Billboard Magazine




Better Make It Real


Book Description

A comprehensive study of the power of differentiation as a key component of any business model, this book includes a step-by-step process to help leaders discover, achieve, express, and sustain their own authentic position. For the first time in recent history, trust is as important to corporate reputation as quality of products and services, according to the 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer. Still, nearly 70 percent of people say that organizations will revert to "business as usual" once the economy recovers. Moreover, U.S. job satisfaction is at a 22-year-low, according to a 2010 Conference Board report, and by most every measure, the consumer outlook is bleak. The good news? Organizational authenticity is attainable, declares Morin in Better Make it Real. However, it isn't the goal, she says, but the result of providing, consistently and continuously, an authentic "total experience" to your stakeholders—workers, customers, vendors, and other business partners. In other words, Morin affirms, authenticity isn't a destination—it's an ongoing journey that will serve to differentiate any organization in its marketplace, which too often is littered with fakes. Morin's recommended roadmap is Kahler Slater's Total Experience Design—a specific, step-by-step process for designing stakeholder experiences that are "authentic, intentional, and wholly integrated." In Better Make It Real, Morin offers a comprehensive guide to implementing Total Experience Design inside organizations of all types and sizes. She also shares behind-the-scenes stories from Kahler Slater projects and clients, including Google, Robert Redford's Sundance Cinemas, Monster.com, and numerous entrepreneurial enterprises. Bottom line: Organizational authenticity is sorely lacking—and urgently needed. On the heels of the Great Recession, Morin rolls out a roadmap to "real"—helping executives and entrepreneurs find their way forward.




The Ethics of Authenticity


Book Description

“Charles Taylor is a philosopher of broad reach and many talents, but his most striking talent is a gift for interpreting different traditions, cultures and philosophies to one another...[This book is] full of good things.” —New York Times Book Review Everywhere we hear talk of decline, of a world that was better once, maybe fifty years ago, maybe centuries ago, but certainly before modernity drew us along its dubious path. While some lament the slide of Western culture into relativism and nihilism and others celebrate the trend as a liberating sort of progress, Charles Taylor calls on us to face the moral and political crises of our time, and to make the most of modernity’s challenges. “The great merit of Taylor’s brief, non-technical, powerful book...is the vigor with which he restates the point which Hegel (and later Dewey) urged against Rousseau and Kant: that we are only individuals in so far as we are social...Being authentic, being faithful to ourselves, is being faithful to something which was produced in collaboration with a lot of other people...The core of Taylor’s argument is a vigorous and entirely successful criticism of two intertwined bad ideas: that you are wonderful just because you are you, and that ‘respect for difference’ requires you to respect every human being, and every human culture—no matter how vicious or stupid.” —Richard Rorty, London Review of Books




The Authentic Workplace


Book Description

Whether it's branding, marketing, sales, leadership, managing, or recruiting, every aspect of the modern workplace is shifting. Companies are now expected to interact with customers through the digital world. Leaders are required to be tranparent. Managers are now expected to be coaches due to the rapid changing times. But where is this all headed? The new destination is authenticity. But what is authenticity? Is it simply being yourself and expect the world to respond? And how can this be applied to create a workplace where people actually enjoy working? In this book, Jeff Butler explores what it means to be authentic, the shifting workplace trends requiring authenticity and effective ways to create a culture employees enjoy. This book is a must if you are look ing to be relevant in today's changing workplace.




Universal Human


Book Description

"With lucidity and elegance, Zukav explains that we are evolving from a species that pursues power based upon the perceptions of the five senses -- external power -- into a species that pursues authentic power -- power that is based upon the perceptions and values of the spirit. He shows how the pursuit of external power has produced our survival-of-the-fittest understanding of evolution, generated conflict between lovers, communities, and superpowers, and brought us to the edge of destruction. Using his scientist's eye and philosopher's heart, Zukav shows how infusing the activities of life with reverence, compassion, and trust makes them come alive with meaning and purpose. He illustrates how the emerging values of the spirit are changing marriages into spiritual partnerships, psychology into spiritual psychology, and transforming our everyday lives. The Seat of the Soul describes the remarkable journey to the spirit that each of us is on."--Amazon.com.




Creating Authentic Organizations


Book Description

Our identity is often bound up what we do at work. The work we do goes some way to describing who we are, what we stand for and it reveals, in one dimension at least, a tangible and valued contribution that we make to the world. Authenticity in organizations matters more than ever. In today's complex and global economy it's more important than ever that we empower employees to bring their authentic selves to work. Doing so leads to increased innovation, productivity, more thoughtful risk-taking, a sense of responsibility and enhanced adaptiveness to change. Creating Authentic Organizations goes beyond the remit of authentic leadership and shows how the concept of authenticity can and should be applied to your organization. It offers a new management framework based on the freedom to operate, meaningful dialogue and a deep search for personal meaning at work; autonomy and the opportunity to make an impact is a key driver of productivity. With simple and powerful models and strategies to bring about workplace authenticity, this bold and cutting-edge approach will show you how to ensure more authentic dialogue and encourage open and meaningful discussion around threats and challenges. Creating Authentic Organizations gives you the tools to bridge the gap between the corporate persona and the authentic self, leading to greater employee engagement, well-being and organizational resilience. Online supporting resources include an authenticity and freedoms diagnostic tool and guidance notes.




Developing and Designing Materials for English Language Teaching and Learning


Book Description

One of the tools that English language teachers use to effectively carry out English language teaching and learning is materials. In this context, English language teachers and English language teacher candidates must have the necessary knowledge and skills regarding creating and designing English language teaching and learning materials. For this reason, in many universities around the world, courses related to material design and development are taught in departments that train English language teachers. Following current developments in foreign language materials design and development is a priority for publishing houses, especially those that design textbooks in the light of current approaches. Thus, this book provides textbook publishers and English language teacher trainees, teachers, academicians and practitioners with the current theoretical and practical directions in developing, designing, and implementing materials to enhance foreign language learning and use.




Creating a Sense of Belonging


Book Description

It Benefits You and Others ◦ Making a Difference: Harnessing the Power of Community ServiceIn times of increasing divisiveness and loneliness, "Creating a Sense of Belonging: Building Emotional Connections in a Divided World" serves as an enlightening guide for those seeking to foster a sense of belonging in their lives and the world around them.Discover the profound importance of belonging as the book deeply explores human psychology and how interlacing concepts of trust, respect, and mutual understanding tie into our sense of community. Let this illuminating guide help you unravel what stands between a divided society and a deeply connected one.Become familiar with the different components of belonging, such as emotional connection, shared experiences, mutual respect, and inclusivity. Learn how cultural values, societal influences, and even an individual's identity play a vital role in fostering a sense of belonging.Overcome fears, embrace growth and learn to harness empathy and transparency, as they play a vital role in building stronger and more meaningful relationships. The book also provides insights into cultivating connection in various aspects of life— at the workplace, educational institutions, and even within your neighborhood.Gain valuable clarity on how technology and social media influence our sense of connection and discover the nourishing satisfaction rooted in volunteering and community service.This insightful and inspiring book aims to ignite a spark in its readers to construct a world built on connection, empathy, and belonging. It is an essential read for educators, human resources practitioners, community builders, or anyone who is passionate about making a difference in a divided society. With "Creating a Sense of Belonging: Building Emotional Connections in a Divided World," bring about a personal and societal transformation and become a catalyst for change. Start building avenues towards unity and emotional connection today.