The sociology of nostalgia

Curr Opin Psychol. 2023 Apr:50:101556. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101556. Epub 2023 Jan 11.

Abstract

Nostalgia is not a conventional topic of sociological analysis, and sociologists writing on nostalgia often rely on insights on the topic generated in neighboring disciplines. However, there is in fact relevant sociological work on nostalgia conducted by sociologists, and this article reviews is. Illustative examples of sociological topics relating to nostalgia are as follows: nostalgia and the past, examining how historical recollection or reconstruction and memory shape nostalgia, nostalgia and experiences of personal and cultural loss; nostalgia and individual or collective identity; nostalgia and social change; and nostalgia and politics.

Keywords: Identity; Loss; Nostalgia; Politics; Social change.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Social Change
  • Sociology*