Entrepreneurial Identity Narratives: From Heroic Modernity to the Postmodern Multiplicity of Roles

This article examines the evolution of the entrepreneur’s identity from the heroic image of the “titan of industry” during the modern era to the multiplicity of roles in postmodernity. The central argument is that, while in modernity the entrepreneur was portrayed as a singular hero of progress, in the postmodern context this identity becomes fragmented and reconfigured through various narratives. The contemporary entrepreneur not only develops technological solutions or manages companies but also actively constructs a public image through the media and social networks, effectively turning into a “brand” of one’s own. This reframing of entrepreneurship addresses questions of authenticity, self-presentation, and the influence of digital platforms, where each market participant can be viewed as an “entrepreneur of their own life.” Accordingly, the focus of this study extends beyond the entrepreneur’s economic role to include their cultural and symbolic function in the conditions of postmodernity and platform capitalism. Methodologically, the paper draws upon postmodern philosophy (Jean-François Lyotard’s ideas on the end of “grand narratives,” Jean Baudrillard’s concept of simulacra, and Michel Foucault’s analysis of power discourse), as well as narratology, discourse analysis, and the deconstruction of cultural texts. The research’s novelty lies in rethinking the figure of the entrepreneur as the “entrepreneur of oneself” (a term tracing back to Foucault’s works), that is, a subject who shapes and promotes their own identity much like a brand. This perspective sheds light on the hidden mechanisms of image formation in the context of digital platforms, where personal and professional identities fuse into a unified construct and are broadcast to a mass audience. Consequently, it is shown that in the platform economy and consumer society, the entrepreneur increasingly emerges as a project in and of themselves, combining traits of a creator, a product, and a manager of one’s own life. This opens new horizons for philosophically interpreting authenticity, self-realization, and the interplay of freedom and self-control in the realm of contemporary entrepreneurship.

entrepreneurial identity, postmodernity, heroic narrative, multiplicity of roles, self-presentation, digital platforms, self-realization, deconstruction, entrepreneur of oneself, authenticity