The First of Many

Hi everyone,

Here are my initial notes from a brainstorming session Calum and I had about our topic of 'nostalgia' and its relationship with the personal, the political and the cultural.

The dictionary definition of nostalgia is: "a sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past." But after discussion, we feel that the word carries much more weight than this sentiment, and pervades so much of the modern day and politics...

1. nostalgia can be weaponised by political parties as a way of engaging and persuading the people; for example Trump's trope of "making America great again" recycling the sentiment of the 'American Dream'.
2. Cultural historical memory can also provide huge political problems: should monuments to dictators or historically infamous people be allowed? does nostalgia leave individuals with "rose-tinted vision" when looking at history and truth? 
3. How does nostalgic feeling influence our conscious decisions to connect parts of our identity with pasts that we have not lives? such as choosing to dress in the style of the 90s, or preferring to music from the 80s. 

Is nostalgia a comfort blanket in these areas of society, in a time of widespread political alienation?

As a starting premise for the project, this is an interesting question I feel, and it will help shape our plans and ideas as we continue. In terms of 'intervening' with the everyday, I think asking these questions is an intervention in itself, and certainly would be if we chose to focus on asking others of different generations some sort of structured questions when we narrow down our focus. Maybe a mini documentary? We could even hold a screening of it! 

Posted by Kat