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Ambiguous Human Existence and the Ethics of Authenticity : Exploring Tensions of Freedom and Solidarity in Contemporary Scandinavian Art Film and Beyond

Svane, Anette LU (2025)
Abstract
This thesis develops an ethical framework called the ethics of authenticity and puts it to work through concrete engagement with seven contemporary Scandinavian films. It starts by tracing the contradictory developments of modern freedom, highlighting the tensions of freedom and solidarity and how this comes to the fore in ethics, politics and film aesthetics. Inspired by Simone de Beauvoir’s existentialist ethics and political Marxist theory, I develop the ethics of authenticity in response to this. I then explore and further develop this framework through engagements with films and the way they give form to – and handle –tensions of autonomy, authenticity, and conditions of standardisation in our contemporary moment.
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
supervisor
opponent
  • professor Asbjørn Grønstad, Universitetet i Bergen
organization
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Existentialism, Ethics, aesthetics and ethics, film art, film and ideology, Simone de Beauvoir, Political Marxism, Authenticity, capitalism critique, ideology critique, Art and politics, aesthetics, Scandinavian film
pages
174 pages
publisher
Lund University
defense location
SOL, hörsalen
defense date
2025-04-25 10:00:00
ISBN
978-91-89874-95-4
978-91-89874-94-7
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
cc4f3d6e-e6d8-4046-9d31-ac493cde7144
date added to LUP
2025-03-21 12:21:20
date last changed
2025-04-04 15:13:42
@phdthesis{cc4f3d6e-e6d8-4046-9d31-ac493cde7144,
  abstract     = {{This thesis develops an ethical framework called the ethics of authenticity and puts it to work through concrete engagement with seven contemporary Scandinavian films. It starts by tracing the contradictory developments of modern freedom, highlighting the tensions of freedom and solidarity and how this comes to the fore in ethics, politics and film aesthetics. Inspired by Simone de Beauvoir’s existentialist ethics and political Marxist theory, I develop the ethics of authenticity in response to this. I then explore and further develop this framework through engagements with films and the way they give form to – and handle –tensions of autonomy, authenticity, and conditions of standardisation in our contemporary moment.}},
  author       = {{Svane, Anette}},
  isbn         = {{978-91-89874-95-4}},
  keywords     = {{Existentialism; Ethics; aesthetics and ethics; film art; film and ideology; Simone de Beauvoir; Political Marxism; Authenticity; capitalism critique; ideology critique; Art and politics; aesthetics; Scandinavian film}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  publisher    = {{Lund University}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  title        = {{Ambiguous Human Existence and the Ethics of Authenticity : Exploring Tensions of Freedom and Solidarity in Contemporary Scandinavian Art Film and Beyond}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/211977235/Anette_Svane_-_Ambiguous_Human_Existence_and_the_Ethics_of_Authenticity.pdf}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}