Notes for a Study on the Ethical and Political Dimensions of Nostalgia in the Public Sphere

Owing to its social and political ramifications, nostalgia has become a focal point in contemporary discourse and is interpreted differently in various academic disciplines. In psychology, nostalgia is used to provide a sense of continuity in personal and collective histories. In political and social thought, nostalgia is often viewed as a regressive sentiment that fosters conservatism, reaction, and populism, re interpretations of history, and the closure of identities under the guise of fear of the other. However, some in the same field also highlight the positive aspects of nostalgia, such as caution against uncritical belief in progress, the possibility to give voice to subaltern and marginalized groups, and a sense of belonging that challenges the illusion of radical autonomy and does not act as a boundary against difference. This study explores the ethical-philosophical reasons why nostalgia is used in the pub lic sphere and identifies criteria to distinguish between destructive and constructive uses of such feeling. The following three pronged approach is adopted: 1) current state of the art of the research concerning nostalgia as a collective feeling in the social and political sphere, 2) historical development of the concept and its ethical political implications if considered in its relationship with collective memory and history, and 3) search for a criterion that allows for the recognition between destructive and constructive uses of nostalgia in the public sphere. Finally, concluding remarks on nostalgia and imagined justice are presented.