Authenticity, communication, and critical theory

This essay deals with the notion of authenticity in the study of communication by tracing its treatment in the literature of recent social theory, particularly Critical Theory. It suggests that the search for the authentic has been a historically grounded intellectual concern with considerations of creative practices serving to recover the authentic in contemporary life. The essay concludes by acknowledging the need of Critical Theory to address the challenges of postmodern thought and the potential of popular culture in an emancipatory struggle.