Nostalgia. Historicising the Longing for the Past

Conference at the GHI London, 1-3 October 2015

Nostalgia has not had a good press among historians. While a number of studies on nostalgia have appeared throughout various disciplines, most historians have dismissive about the “yearning for the past”, variously describing nostalgia as a sickness, kitsch or even a sin. What we still know very little about, however, is the history of nostalgia. How can we historicize nostalgia? How did it change over time? Does nostalgia, distort the past, as many historians believe, or does it foster an interest in history? These are some of the questions the international, transdisciplinary conference “Nostalgia. Historicising the Longing for the Past” wants to address. It is interested both in theoretical contributions to the history of nostalgia and in case studies of nostalgia in various times, places, groups and contexts. To that end, it brings together researchers from various countries and disciplines, history, sociology, anthropology, art history, literature and media studies. The conference takes place at the German Historical Institute London from 1 to 3 October 2015. The programme will be out soon.