"Authenticity is taken for granted as an absolute value in contemporary life. We speak of authentic art, music, food, dance, and people. Authenticity can be found in moments of extreme danger, in the pleasures of carnival, in the taste of champagne. As anthropologist Charles Lindholm shows in this engaging new book, the hope for an authentic experience draws us to charismatic leaders, expressive artists, and fanatical collectors. It also can lead to the bloodshed of ethnic cleansing. In Culture and Authenticity, Lindholm argues that the pervasive desire for authenticity is a consequence of a modern loss of faith and meaning."--BOOK JACKET.