Abstract
Over the past three decades, authenticity has emerged as a key interpretative term for understanding the stakes and legitimacy of identity politics. Against a philosophical background in which the status of authenticity as a politically operative concept has been heavily contested, this project engages with the valuable contributions the ideal presents to political life. The central question guiding this inquiry is: what political value do appeals to authenticity hold? This project seeks to answer this question through a critical hermeneutic re-evaluation of the term, spanning from 'the personal' to the political dimensions of hermeneutical injustices. By embedding authenticity within the framework of critical hermeneutics, the project aims to (1) articulate a coherent conception of authenticity at both personal and political levels, (2) illuminate the interplay between appeals to authenticity and hermeneutical injustices, and (3) develop a corrective account of authenticity that acknowledges its critical impulse. This approach ultimately seeks to substantiate a distinct hermeneutically informed perspective on authenticity's role in supporting social struggles while simultaneously addressing prevailing critiques of its political implementations.
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