The Revenge of Nostos: On Place in Nostalgia Studies

Abstract

Nostalgia is generally understood by social sciences and humanities in temporal terms [Blunt, 2003] and as modernity’s by-product. It is argued that in face of the "global triumph of memory" [Nora, 2005] and the consumerist colonization of the past, looking at nostalgia through the lens of modern temporality is no longer understanding and explaining this complex of experiences. The article is an attempt at a critique of temporal-centered nostalgia by appealing to place. Place-sensitive nostalgia studies lend an opportunity for a less reductionist view of this fascinating and complex phenomenon.

Keywords

• nostalgia
• memory
• place
• retromania
• past
• present