Towards a psychopolitical theorization of nostalgia in psychology

Whether through divisive injunctions to “Make America Great Again,” or countless anesthetizing spinoffs and remakes, our current epoch appears to be one of uniquely nostalgic sensibility. Across disciplines, there is consensus that nostalgia is heightened in times of stress and change, functioning as a reprieve from an inhospitable present. It follows that our rapidly shifting social, economic, environmental, and geopolitical terrain fosters the ideal conditions for nostalgia to flourish. While its interpretation has vacillated significantly, contemporary psychological research frames nostalgia as a largely positive resource that shores up optimism, purpose, and social connectedness. Yet, if nostalgia can be exploited by politicians to foster resentment and violence, how does this figure with the construal of nostalgia as predominantly positive? Untethering nostalgia from its psychologized status, then, is critical to grasping its key functions. As such, this thesis advances a psychopolitical retheorization that resituates nostalgia in its social, political, and historical context.