Cultural trauma, becomings and decolonial identity-making: A commentary on Verbuyst's ‘Authenticity and decolonisation…’

In response to Verbuyst's engaging piece characterising subversive authenticity, this commentary reflects on the multi-layered articulations of authenticity that the author presents and the roles these representations play in defining cultural, ethnic and decolonial identities. In particular, I draw in part on my own research into the multiple characterisations of authenticity (affective, epistemic and reciprocal) amongst anti-racist activists who described themselves as developing their racial identities during the black lives matter movements of 2020. Using theories of becoming and a deeper discussion of trauma and cultural trauma in particular, this commentary looks to explore the semantics of subversion and the persistence of verisimilitude albeit in pluralised forms. Theories of becoming and the use of material culture to support identity affirmations in motion from cultural trauma might contribute to our understanding of the workings of authenticity in this context. As such, I reflect on the concept of subversion as an element of becoming. Subversive authenticity when understood through a lens of cultural trauma is a useful signifier for decolonial identity construction and the assertion that authenticity expressed in this way is an act of agency and of ‘seizing self-representation’.