This study presents an exploration of the autonomy-dependence paradox inherent in organization-public relationships that is informed by paradox theory, structuration theory and scholarly and philosophical literature on authenticity. These theories suggest that relationships between organizations and their publics are defined by interdependence, or the centripetal and centrifugal forces of autonomy and dependence that cause tensions that can influence the decision making of the relational partners. They also suggest that organizations must use their agency, their knowledge of relational structures, and their understanding of their authentic selves to manage their own behavior and communication rather than that of their publics. The case studies presented in this paper were assembled from fourteen semi-structured in-depth interviews of museum professionals at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art, museum archival documents, and news media reports. The data shows that organizations can benefit from adopting a framework based paradox theory, structuration theory, and authentic leadership theory to avoid harmful defensive mechanisms and vicious cycles by seeking divergent solutions. The value of this study is that it illustrates how paradoxical tensions can influence the decision-making process in organizations, as well as the ways in which organizations can manage their own behavior and communication in spite of natural tendencies to manage and control stakeholders and publics. This study also shows a need for future research to explore other paradoxes in the field of public relations, conduct more case studies of different types of organizations, and develop methodologies to evaluate the effect of these strategies on the health of organization-public relationships.

Contemporary sociological research on second-generation immigrants living in the United States is lined with questions of ethnic inclusion and transnational participation. Many scholars are interested in how the children of immigrants relate to their parents' ethnic identity while being raised in a new land. Noting that the majority of scholars in this field approach ethnic identity within a social constructionist perspective, in this study I explore the ways that identity ambivalence and ethnic belonging are framed. Specifically, I critically question the ways that an ethnic identity is assumed to be valued and asserted in a constructionist model. After presenting a traditional view of the social construction of ethnic identity, primarily from the work of Stephen Cornell and Douglas Hartmann (2007), I draw out ways that self and identity are framed and highlight key assumptions of an uncommitted self and identity as an objective construction. I trace these assumptions through second-generation immigration literature and critically question how individuals can be shown to experience ambivalence or value an identity if they are conceptually framed as selves who stand apart from their ethnic identity constructions. To better appreciate their ambivalence and convincingly illustrate that one identity matters above another, as a claim for ambivalence inherently assumes, I argue that second-generation immigrants must be understood as strong evaluating, moral selves and the ethnic identities they embody as moral narratives which underlie their self-constitution. In advancing this argument, I look outside of sociology to the work of Charles Taylor (1989) and Charles Guignon (2004) who articulate a view of moral, committed selves. Building from these authors' work, I present moral identification as an alternative framework for understanding ethnic identity. In this moral approach, I delineate the concepts of valuation and moral identification and present them in a framework of identity authenticity and social accountability.

Edith Wharton's 1913 novel The Custom of the Country reveals a national concern with defining and preserving authenticity in social and cultural life. A study of the novel through the lens of scholarship concerning the modernist obsession with "the real thing," including such seminal texts as Walter Benjamin's "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" and Lionel Trilling's Sincerity and Authenticity, opens up a broad discussion of authenticity and imitation as defined by Wharton's characters. This paper challenges the traditional interpretations of the much-abused term. First, I outline a brief history of the study of authenticity in art and literature in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, showing how realist writers like Wharton were influenced by the ideal of cultural and literary reality. Then I discuss the obsession with "the real thing" by all the characters in The Custom of the Country, both low- and high-born, and how the term influences the development of the plot. Finally, I reveal the vexed nature of the term "authenticity" in the novel, showing how the nouveau riche wrest aura from the old aristocratic class, and how they appropriate the power necessary to define "the real thing" on their own terms.

This essay uses different angles to analyze how authentic objects and copies are used in an exhibition context. The survey focuses on four research questions. The questions concern the significance of copies in exhibitions and focuses on the relationship between the information conveyed in exhibitions and the objects used to convey the information. The questions also aim to examine the relationship between authenticity and copies and the museum visitors view on copies. The purpose of the survey is to see if the answers to these questions mean that the authentic museum objects are the most significant or if the information is the most valuable and that the objects in that case could just as easily consist of copies.  The methods used for collecting the empirical material is analyzes of relevant literature and interviews. The empirical material is used to illuminate different perspectives on the use and view of copies in exhibition contexts. Previous research is used to analyze the concepts of authenticity and copies. Classic cases of exhibitions based on copies are used to get an insight into how copies can be used in exhibitions. Part of the empirical material consists of interviews with Swedish museums, the interviews are used to investigate how museums today use copies and to perceive the museums´ views on the use of copies. The analysis of the empirical material provides many interesting aspects on this topic, and it turns out that the researchers, the classical cases, and the interviewed museums are more or less in agreement when it comes to the use of copies in exhibition contexts. The copies are perceived to have many positive qualities that can be used in different ways in an exhibition. Overall, the reasoning leads to copies having a significant role in exhibition contexts and is a somewhat unused resource that could be used more than what it currently does.  This is a two-year master´s thesis in Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies.

This paper examines the notion of authenticity in social media videos through an intermedial analysis that dissects the varying roles of participating parties. Social media videos are increasingly used as means of highly intermedial communications all around the world and across all cultures. The conducted research investigates authenticity in film and extends it to include social media videos. As perception of authenticity relies on successful understanding of context, the authenticity of social media videos that make clear claims about their context is more easily understood. Through intermedially examining three different media products (a film and 2 social media videos), the proposed theory is demonstrated in practice by means of preforming authenticity tests. Although it is not always easy to produce a confident ruling, the intricacies of the process highlight the role of intermedial elements responsible for determining authenticity. This research project can serve as a basis for further studies in highly intermedial forms of communication in social media. It could also provide insight for future investigative research that aim to understand the effects of prolonged exposure to inauthentic content in our day to day lives.

As microcosms of German and Chinese societies, Munich Oktoberfest and Qingdao International Beer Festival are important manifestations of local culture. This study intends to answer the following question: to which extent are beer festivals in Germany and China related to local history and the local sense of place? A historical overview of the beer festivals in Munich and Qingdao is provided, as well as an analysis of how people seeking a sense of belonging creatively combine cognitive schemata of modernity with local cultural systems on a symbolic level. Through textual analysis and interviews, this study attempts to explore the historical development of beer festivals in Germany and China and provide an analysis case of place identity through beer symbols and tourist experience based on a historical and geographical framework regarding uniqueness, authenticity, liminality and local identity. Originating in local history, Oktoberfest has evolved from a folk festivity to a globally known tourist spectacle. Faced with modernisation, "Heimat" helps Germany in smoothing the tension between the traditional sense of place and the modern nation-state identity. As a former German colony, Qingdao celebrates its beer festival emphasising recreation and enjoyment above traditions. The local beer-related customs such as plastic bags and drinking with seafood reflect the cultural hybridity of Qingdao in which consumerism and nostalgia are combined in reaction to the vast tourism generated by globalisation and modernisation. It remains a challenge for beer festivals both in Germany and China facing homogenisation and commercialisation to maintain a genuine connection with people, especially the locals. Future work on beer festivals could explore a variety of beer events in other historical, national and contextual settings, different perspectives as well as genderisation, which will enrich the study on festival tourism and place identity.

The concept of health should not be viewed as one-dimensional, but rather a complex interplay between physical, psychological and social factors (WHO, 2014). The Swedish curriculum highlights that the school’s responsibility is to support pupils’ knowledge and promote health. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to consider pupils understanding of and attitudes towards health in the context of the subject Physical Education and Health (PEH) at school. Data was collected through the use of focus groups, questionnaires and epistolary dialog. The pupils’ ways of describing health were analysed through Zygmunt Bauman’s (2008) consuming theory and Thomas Ziehe’s (1986, 1999) concepts of cultural liberation, cultural expropriation, the performance principle and authenticity. The result shows that the pupils in the study had a good level of understanding about health. They described health as a complex concept in physical, psychological and social terms. This understanding of health affected the pupils in different ways. For example a feeling of pleasure was described by pupils who appeared well-grounded and spontaneous, while those who experienced pressure in their daily life expressed feelings of higher expectations regarding their own health practices. PEH teachers need to consider not only knowledge content of the subject area, but also variations of self-image among the pupils in their class, and the impact this can have on the way pupils un-derstand the health messages being taught in the classroom.

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This study aims to investigate the phenomenon of influencer marketing within the context of the media and communication industry. The research focuses on understanding the perspectives and experiences of professionals working in this field. The study adopts a qualitative approach, utilizing semi-structured interviews as the primary method of data collection. Based on the six interviews conducted, it can be concluded that influencer marketing is perceived as a complex process that requires careful planning and analysis. A crucial aspect of the process is finding the right influencer who aligns with the company's brand identity and target audience. It was revealed that influencer marketing requires effective communication and clear guidelines to ensure that the influencer's content aligns with the company's vision. Overall, this study offers valuable insights into the perceptions and experiences of media and communication professionals regarding influencer marketing. It highlights the need for continued awareness and understanding of this marketing strategy among both marketers and consumers. By providing a deeper understanding of the subject matter, this research aims to contribute to the literature and stimulate further investigations in the field of influencer marketing within the media and communication industry.

Le présent mémoire se propose d’analyser la conception originale de la finitude que présente Françoise Dastur dans La mort : Essai sur la finitude. Nous souhaitons mettre en relief la conception de la finitude chez Dastur et les raisons qui l’amènent à sa proposition d’assumer notre propre mort avec une certaine forme de joie et même de rire. Notre analyse espère faire ressortir la lecture originale que Dastur propose de plusieurs thèmes qu’elle emprunte à différents philosophes, dont Heidegger, qui se sont penchés sur le sujet de la finitude. L’analyse de ces thèmes nous permettra de prendre la pleine mesure de la finitude et de ses retombées pour une philosophie célébrant la vie. Afin de rendre justice à l’analyse de Dastur, le premier chapitre se concentrera sur la manière dont elle se réapproprie l’héritage de la finitude dans la philosophie occidentale. Nous tâcherons alors d’analyser sa lecture des auteurs tragiques, dont Sophocle, et leur impact sur sa conception de la finitude. Ensuite, le deuxième chapitre s’attardera sur la manière dont Dastur pense le rapport de l’être humain à sa propre finitude. C’est dans ce chapitre que l’on aura à analyser le rapport au langage comme manifestation de la finitude. Nous y traiterons aussi de « l’abri de l’être » que serait la mort pour Dastur, qui s’inspire ici de Heidegger. C’est dans ce contexte que Dastur aborde la possibilité d’une sollicitude authentique dans sa compréhension de la finitude. Nous aurons alors à déterminer dans quelle mesure elle suit Heidegger et quand elle prend ses distances avec lui. / Our dissertation proposes to analyze the original conception of finitude presented by Françoise Dastur in La mort: Essai sur la finitude. This Essay will allow us to grasp Dastur's conception of finitude and the reasons that lead her to her proposal to assume our own death with a certain form of joy and even laughter. This analysis will highlight the original reading that Dastur proposes of several themes that she borrows from different philosophers, including Heidegger, who have considered the subject of finitude. The analysis of these themes will allow us to take the full expression of finitude and its consequences for a philosophy celebrating life. To justify Dastur's analysis, the first chapter will focus on how the manner in which she reclaims the legacy of finitude in Western philosophy. We will then scrutinize her reading of tragic authors, including Sophocles, and their impact on her conception of finitude. The second chapter will focus on the manner in which Dastur thinks about the relationship of human beings to their own finitude. In this chapter, we will strive to show how our relationship to language can be seen as a manifestation of finitude. We will also deal with the "shelter of being" that death would be for Dastur, who follows here Heidegger. It is in this context that Dastur discusses the possibility of authentic caring in her understanding of finitude. We will then have to determine to what extent she follows Heidegger and when she distances herself from him.