Throughout history and within different cultural contexts we encounter innumerable examples of individuals who have been elevated to positions of authority, considered exceptional, or held up as subjects of fascination around whom communities of followers unite and a ‘cult of personality’ forms. These exceptional individuals, who have achieved fame or infamy, have been identified by different terminology depending on the social and historic context in which they operate: saints, gurus, celebrities, politicians, reality-TV stars, cult leaders, pop stars, YouTube vloggers, gamers, and online social-influencers.

The lab engages in interdisciplinary, cross-cultural and cooperative study of the exceptional self, in order to gain deeper understanding of how these public personae are constructed, how their authority and influence are established, performed, and maintained in a host of different contexts in past and present cultures. We will avail itself not only of methodologies and contributions from historical research but of the theoretical and empirical support coming from fields like sociology and anthropology