A PLACE APART: THE ROLE OF NOSTALGIA IN A DETACHED COMMUNITY Martin Otto Zimmann A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 2011 Committee: Dr. Scott C. Martin, Advisor Dr. Ruben V. Anguiano Graduate Faculty Representative Dr. Kristine Blair Dr. Ellen Berry Dr. Duane Larson ii ABSTRACT Dr. Scott C. Martin, Advisor This work investigated the power of nostalgia in perpetuating rituals and folkways in detached communities. The focus of this study was Camp Luther, a family camp operated under the auspices of Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. Over the summer of 2010, approximately sixty interviews were conducted at the camp, and qualitative data from these interviews was used to formulate ideas and theoretical underpinnings for a concept the author calls “the nostalgic reflex.” These interviews were transcribed and then coded to indicate the manner in which nostalgia was driving the thought processes of the interview subjects. Quotations from the interviews were used throughout the document to support the theory of the nostalgic reflex. The interview data was rich with language and notions that indicated the level to which adherents of the camp were “under the influence” of the nostalgic reflex insofar as their devotion to the ethos of the camp’s character was concerned. One of the most interesting data points was people’s willingness to raise a large sum of money to preserve the lakefront of the camp, giving credence to the theory of “solastalgia” as coined by Glenn Albrecht. The language of the interview subjects also dovetailed neatly into Diane Barthel’s tenets of the Staged Symbolic Community. Also, the work borrowed from Edwin Friedman’s study of homeostasis and emotional triangles in his germinal work Generation to Generation. The study also parsed the differences between Svetlana Boym’s restorative and reflective nostalgia, especially in maintenance of the hetero-normative male dominated status quo at the camp. The work concludes that the academy has a somewhat overt bias against nostalgia. It noted with irony how it is ultimately nostalgia that undergirds the structure of the academy itself iii in the postmodern era. Further studies were discussed in the conclusion, inviting more discourse on the topic, especially in gender and ethnic studies. Ultimately, the work added to the ongoing influences of Harper, Davis, Lowenthal, Boym, and Wilson on the power of nostalgia. From the conclusion: So the nostalgic reflex is there to remind us in times of joy and adversity of those things which matter most. Like any faculty, it can be used for good or ill, depending on the motives of one who wields it. It remains within all of us. It is triggered on a daily basis, and its presence in our cognitive processes is often unseen, yet influential. I know, on a purely cognitive level, that Camp Luther is a collection of mildewed cabins, bland food, with a panoramic vista that only hints at the greater grandeur of an ocean view. This is what the photographs show and the palate recalls. The narrative of camp as polished through the lens of nostalgia, however, breathes magic into my cognition, and my desire for its luminosity trumps my rationalism every time. I only hope that others feel this quickening as I do, not necessarily for camp per se, but for something that adds value to their existence—a sense of Harper’s “presence,” even if that translates into a temporary escape from ennui and malaise. Key words & terms: Nostalgia; Solastalgia; Nostalgic Reflex; Homeostasis; Staged Symbolic Community; Fear; Anxiety iv In memory of my stepfather, Pastor Bill Zimmann, 1933-2011. He spent many afternoons beachcombing the shores of Lake Erie for rainbow glass and other bits of translucence. “Everything is something else.” v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am grateful to my spouse, Angela, for her unwavering support of my decision to return to the halls of academia for one last go-round. I owe much to my children, Seth, Chelsea, and Amadiya for their patience with me when I was absent from their lives in order to pursue this work. Hopefully this will serve to make your lives more meaningful and richer for the effort. I could not have completed this work without the enthusiasm and support of Camp Luther campers and staff from the summer of 2010. I am especially grateful to Corey & Megan Wagonfield and Bumpy Danforth for their support and friendship during this project. Our conversations at Breezy’s were the stuff of camp lore and magic. May we live to see our children’s children haggle chickens in the dining hall. My time at Bowling Green was more than the sum of its parts due to the influences of people who shaped my thinking. Much thanks is due to the members of my dissertation panel, Scott Martin, Kris Blair, Ellen Berry, Duane Larson, and Ruben Anguiano. Yes, Dr. Martin, years from now I will “look back fondly on this experience.” A shout out goes to my friends Phil Terrie and Errol Lam for encouraging me via Facebook during the dog days of chapters two and three. Also to my colleagues in the cohort—Kelly MacDonald, Eric Weeks, Phillip Cunningham, Adrian Bautista, Sudipto Sanyal, and Aisha McGriff—thank you for putting up with my inane questions. I am also thankful for the hundreds of students who sat in my classrooms when I was a graduate assistant—you taught me to love teaching. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER ONE. HOMESICK FOR THE HAPPY SENSE ................................................ 1 To Start Where We Arrive......................................................................................... 1 Why Nostalgia? A Thesis Statement and Project Conceptualization ........................ 3 Defining Nostalgia and Identifying Salient Literature .............................................. 4 Camp Luther: Illustrating the Functions of Nostalgia ............................................... 15 Methodology ............................................................................................................ 21 Homesick for the Happy Sense.................................................................................. 26 CHAPTER TWO. A PLACE APART: NOSTALGIA AND SACRED SPACE.................. 27 Memory Cache........................................................................................................... 27 Excursive ............................................................................................................ 28 Nostalgia and the Affective Landscape ..................................................................... 31 Quiet Pines, Gentle Breeze ........................................................................................ 51 CHAPTER THREE. HAGGLING A CHICKEN—THE NOSTALGIC REFLEX IN A SYMBOLIC STAGED COMMUNITY................................................................................ 53 Evocative Nuggets in the Nostalgic Mind ................................................................. 53 Excursive ............................................................................................................ 54 Camp and Performativity........................................................................................... 56 The Good Community is the Genteel Community (Barthel 89).................... 66 The Good Community is the Protected Community (90).............................. 68 The Good Community is Conflict-Free (Barthel 90)..................................... 72 Personal and Social History can be Re-Written (Barthel 90) ........................ 82 vii The Smart Locality is One that Either Exploits Old History, or Creates New History (91) ........................................................................................... 86 Identity is a Work in Progress.................................................................................... 91 CHAPTER FOUR. RELIGIOUS AND RACIAL MELANCHOLY IN CONVERSATION WITH NOSTALGIA ............................................................................................................ 93 Wednesday Night Theatrics....................................................................................... 93 Excursive ............................................................................................................ 97 Theoretical Terminology ........................................................................................... 100 The Praxis of Loving and Thieving ........................................................................... 107 Living History, Living Irony...................................................................................... 117 CHAPTER FIVE. THE MORE THINGS CHANGE—THE NOSTALGIC REFLEX IN PERPETUATING HOMEOSTASIS..................................................................................... 119 The More Things Stay the Same................................................................................ 119 Excursive ............................................................................................................ 121 Camp is Different, Camp is the Same........................................................................ 124 The Faustian Bargain ................................................................................................. 129 The “Sick” Outside World and the “Healthy” Inner Sanctum................................... 134 Nostalgia in Concert with Fear .................................................................................. 138 The Cult