Identity Art Reexamined: Boundaries and Narratives in the Outsider Art World

This dissertation examines how cultural meanings shape market boundaries through a case study of outsider art, an art category deeply embedded in a "culture of authenticity." Using mixed methods, the dissertation analyzes hierarchies and structures of the outsider art market, narratives in biographies crafted by dealers, and interactions between artists, dealers, and the audience. Through strategically constructed narratives, dealers portray outsider artists as heroes using art to fight against hardships. They not only present the authenticity of the art but also perform their own authenticity and extend it to the audience, performing civic commitment in the aesthetic public sphere and simultaneously achieving commercial gain. In the search for authenticity, some audiences try to guard the uniqueness of outsider art, while others long for private connections with artists. Compared with dealers and audiences, artists tend to focus on works instead of identities, with the aim of presenting professionalism and creativity. This dissertation shows that cultural meanings influence market boundaries in three stages: establishing legitimacy, justifying boundary-crossing, and recreating boundaries in response to shifting societal values. These findings contribute to the sociology of art, creative industries, and boundary-making by highlighting how cultural meanings intersect with market and civic logics in processes of (e)valuation.