Nostalgia Sanctuary of Meaning
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Nostalgia Sanctuary of Meaning Janelle L. Wilson Nostalgia: Sanctuary of Meaning Copyright © 2014 by Janelle L. Wilson Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for damages that may result from the information contained within. This books was created through partnership with University of Minnesota Duluth library. University of Minnesota Publishing Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA ISBN: 978-1-946135-31-5 Preface to the 2014 Digital Edition of Nostalgia: Sanctuary of Meaning The original, print version of this book was published in 2005 by Bucknell University Press. In an effort to make the book more widely accessible, I pursued making available this digital version of the book. The original publisher granted the rights of the book back to me, for which I am grateful. The helpful staff members at the Kathryn A. Martin Library of the University of Minnesota Duluth (in particular, Gabriel Gardner and Shixing Wen) were instrumental in producing this digital edition and publishing it in the University of Minnesota Duluth’s institutional repository, “d-Commons.” This digital version of the book mirrors the original print version. Preface NOSTALGIA HAS GOTTEN A BAD RAP. THOSE WHO SEEM TO LIVE IN THE past often face criticism from others. Many pundits and scholars associ- ate nostalgia with reactionary thought. But, have we been too quick to dismiss the experience of nostalgia? While nostalgia can, on occasion, be dysfunctional for an individual (e.g., keeping one from facing the pre- sent and doing what is needed for proper functioning in the here and now), it is also possible that nostalgia can be quite beneficial. Placing oneself—in the past, present, and projecting into the future—is vital to each of us. The experience and expression of nostalgia need not be merely an escape, nor does the past need to be viewed as static. Individ- uals decide—in the present—how to recall the past and, in this process, imbue the past with meaning, which has evolved over time and is rele- vant in the present. In writing this book, I intend to explore the concept (and experi- ence) of nostalgia. This work brings together research I have carried out over the past several years. I wish to place this body of research in a framework, make meaning of it, and share it with you, the reader. I challenge you to think about your own experience of nostalgia and how it may (or may not) fit with the ideas presented here. Further, take note of the numerous examples of nostalgia that abound in the media, in the popular culture, and among your friends and relatives. How is this nos- talgia expressed? What purposes are being served—both individually and collectively? The hypothesized relationship between nostalgia and identity that sociologist Fred Davis put forth in his 1979 book, Yearning for Yesterday: A Sociology of Nostalgia, finds support in studies I have con- ducted. My book is based upon empirical data which, through analysis and interpretation, serves to ground and to revise Davis’s crucial work on identity negotiations in and through time. The beginning chapters of the book will summarize his—and others’—previous work, setting the 7 8PREFACE stage for a discussion of my research, which expands the study of nos- talgia. Much has been written on the topic of nostalgia, as it is the kind of concept and experience that invites poetic and theoretical treatment. My work blends the theory and the research with notions and conclusions that are empirically based. Yet it is difficult to reach conclusions which can be stated in definite, absolute, certain terms. Nostalgia is an intrigu- ing topic of study, but not necessarily an easy one. As Svetlana Boym (2001) says, “[n]ostalgia remains unsystematic and unsynthesizable; it seduces rather than convinces.”1 In dealing with the topic of nostalgia, there is a degree of caution and hesitancy; a feeling almost of wanting to tread gently and refrain from overgeneralizing, overinterpreting, or in some way defiling the experience of nostalgia. The physician, Elihu Howland (1962) has noted: Some poets, authors, artists and musicians have mastered the skill of pre- serving and communicating the feeling of nostalgia without violating it. We should learn from them; and, until we do, perhaps remain silent.2 I take this advice to heart in the way in which I treat the study of nostalgia. The research on which this book is based suggests that the act of rec- ollection and reminiscence, and the experience of nostalgia can ground a person. In these postmodern times, when so many threats and obstacles to constructing and maintaining a coherent, consistent self abound, the acts of remembering, recalling, reminiscing, and the corollary emotional experience of nostalgia may facilitate the kind of coherence, consistency, and sense of identity that each of us so desperately needs. What is life if not a constant search for meaning and understanding, especially under- standing ourselves and our place in the social world? This search, this self-discovery, entails much confusion and even desperation at times. But it is in the search that we find meaning. Individually and collec- tively, the past is remembered and, in this act of recall, it is often re-cre- ated. My position is that whether nostalgic claims about previous times are objectively true or accurate is not as important as why and how those nostalgic claims emerge. What meaning is being constructed in the retelling? What purpose is being served—individually, collectively, po- litically, economically? This book is about how nostalgia contributes to the meaning that each of us constructs and maintains about our own identity. It brings to bear many disciplines, including psychology, sociology, and philosophy. PREFACE 9 As Boym (2001) says, “[t]he study of nostalgia does not belong to any specific discipline.”3 As a social psychologist, the perspective from which I approach these questions is found in the theoretical orientation known as symbolic interactionism, a perspective concerned with how individu- als create and sustain meaning. Symbolic interactionists emphasize symbol use, human interaction, and reflexivity. Given my substantive in- terests in identity, memory, nostalgia, and meaning, symbolic interac- tionism offers a valuable framework for studying the relationship between nostalgia and identity. Referring to nostalgia as a “sanctuary of meaning” derives from my interest in and focus on meaning as a central concept in attempting to understand human behavior. Part I of the book, “Parade of Concepts,” will examine relevant con- cepts such as nostalgia, memory, and identity. The first chapter explores the changing meanings of the term “nostalgia.” It may surprise readers that, in its original sense, nostalgia was a diagnosable disease. This, of course, is not the meaning we associate with the word today. Under- standing nostalgia requires a critical look at memory, and the second chapter presents a discussion of how to approach memory sociologically and, in so doing, the terms “collective memory” and “collected memo- ries” are discussed. Two objectives in chapter 3, the topic of which is “identity,” are to present identity as both static and dynamic and to con- vincingly suggest that it is relevant and meaningful to speak of identity as having continuity. These first three chapters will introduce key con- cepts and help to build a lexicon that will serve us well in exploring the meanings and uses of nostalgia, especially as demonstrated in the re- search studies which are featured in parts II and III of the book. Part II, “Re-Collecting the Past,” presents findings from studies I have conducted which demonstrate the uses or functions of nostalgia for individuals. When asked to recall or remember a period of time in their past, what do individuals remember and why? How are these percep- tions and recollections connected to the present and, in particular, to one’s past, present, and anticipated future identity? The 1950s have been greatly romanticized and mythologized in our popular culture. Chapter 4 features recollections of that decade by individuals who came of age then, while chapter 5 explores the phenomenon of young adults expressing nostalgia for this decade that they are too young to have ex- perienced. Research conducted with members of Generation X indicates a great deal of nostalgia for both the 1950s and the 1960s; I explore how and why this nostalgia is so prevalent among members of the post–Baby Boom generations. 10 PREFACE Part III, “The Meaning of Things,” features research which explores the relationship between nostalgia and identity by examining the mean- ing attributed to objects. Guiding questions include: What significance and meaning do objects have for individuals? How might objects we select to collect and/or display in our homes connect to identity and/or to the past? Interviews with antique collectors and cultural sojourners (in chapter 6) provide rich data with which to address such questions. The cultural and individual significance of the VW Bug is the focus of chap- ter 7. Baby Boomers share colorful stories of past Volkswagen experi- ences. An appendix describes, in greater detail, the research methods em- ployed for the studies which comprise parts II and III of the book. I en- courage the reader to take a look at the appendix before reading the middle chapters of the book, as it explains the theoretical and method- ological approaches that guided my analysis. Finally, in part IV, possible applications of reminiscence and nostal- gia are discussed, and the argument of the book is reiterated. The book ends, I hope, in an open-ended way.