In Conjunctions: Life Narratives in The Field of Human Rights, Schaffer and Smith introduce Rigoberta Menchú‘s testimonio, I, Rigoberta Menchú, that describes the collective experience of Indigenous Guatemalans who were oppressed by the state of Guatemala. Her autobiographical prominence illustrates their study of the market’s role in selecting and bringing exotic life narratives to Western readers.
They explain that her text was challenged by David Stoll, who dug into her story and unearthed some inaccurate claims it had made. He criticized the life narrative’s inauthenticity, pointing to the fact that it had been written with help from an interlocutor. This brings me to questions about authenticity: How is it defined? What is its significance? How can authenticity be determined in an increasingly global market?
These questions can be explored by observing food consumption: as recipes travel across borders, and international cuisine becomes readily accessible, many consumers search for dishes that are “true to their origins.” However, chef Andy Ricker describes in his blog post that a food’s authenticity cannot truly be determined: different versions of a dish exist, even within its original country. Also, while many search for traditional foods that are “timeless,” traditions evolve with factors such as available ingredients, and lifestyle changes. Finally, when a food is introduced to a new location, it must adjust to the local ingredients and tools, and must fit into new cultural norms in order to be appreciated.
In a similar way, foreign autobiography must usually be translated and framed in a way that facilitates the Western readers’ connection, such as with an added introduction. Stories must be presented in an accessible fashion in order to appeal to the readers. As a result, the text may become significantly altered in order to be understood within the reader’s cultural experience, and may become quite different than the expected “authentic” voice of the individual.
Just as global cuisine exchanges require consumers to be open to cross-cultural fusion and varied interpretation, consumers of autobiography must understand the difficulties facing authenticity when observing global exchanges of life narratives. It is important to remain critical of the way in which autobiography is marketed, while accepting that this enhancement is essential to foreign autobiography’s ability to find a place in the West.
Adèle Therias