AUTHOR=Wall Geoffrey TITLE=The authenticity of souvenirs: examples from Taiwan JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Tourism VOLUME=3 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-tourism/articles/10.3389/frsut.2024.1346641 DOI=10.3389/frsut.2024.1346641 ISSN=2813-2815 ABSTRACT=

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that authenticity is a complicated and imprecise concept. Using autoethnography as an approach to the study and, in particular, a consideration of the meanings of aboriginal souvenirs originating in Taiwan that are in the authors' possession, it is shown that these objects do not fit snuggly into typical classifications that have been proposed to address authenticity. Authenticity is a concept that can hide issues of power and powerlessness. It is suggested that authentication, who says something is authentic and why they do so, is important as it facilitates consideration of access to power.