Nostalgic Feelings Research Articles

Nostalgia after the communist regime in Romania

The present paper focuses on the nostalgia after the communist regime in Romania. This small study is a general overview of the progress I have made during the period between march and august on my PhD thesis regarding the nostalgia after the communist regime in Romania. The research methodology used is somewhat new in the field of conteporary history research. The quasi-experimental study was used in order to see if there are significant differences in the way the well-defined social categories perceive the feeling of nostalgia after communism. The period we spanned in this study is the so-called Ceaușescu epoch for wich we have had the most material to work with. From a historiographycal stand-point, the subject is very new, up until now the studies that have appeared during the past years, take the form of articles published in scientific reviews. More studies will eventually show up in the years to come. During this study we have identified small differences between the groups, that posess almost no relevance to our hypothesis. Theoretically educated people know how to present their memories which later have served as an explanation as to why they are not nostalgic. Surprisingly the working class has almost the same perception as the educated people (the intellectuals).

Український аматорський театр у таборі інтернованих військ УНР Стшалково, Польща, очима театральних критиків, серпень 1921 — липень 1922 рр. (за матеріалами часопису «Промінь»)

The aim of the study is the understanding of the theatre role for formation of spiritual and ideological ideals of interned soldiers. This involves analysis of the amateur circle repertoire and critical reception of plays as well as reconstruction of value motivation of Ukrainian military groups. The historical method, source analysis and synthesis have been used for this purpose. The results of the study showed that the theatrical performances were prepared by several artistic and actor groups (repertory companies), and the informal competition took place between them. Such situation formed the tradition of critical appraisal of the theatrical plays and their publication on the pages of the camp “live” newspaper “Promin”. It is worth mentioning that critics did not miss the opportunity to show the negative sides or, contrarily, praise the actors’ training and stagecraft during the performances. Theatrical stage performances of camp drama and art groups had a significant importance in boosting morale of the interned soldiers as well as satisfying their nostalgic feelings for their homes and native land. The majority of theatrical plays were nationally aspired by the context and spirit (all the dramas were prepared for the stage production in Ukrainian), which thus promoted the spiritual consolidation of the interned warriors. Importantly, camp residents were seeking and finding their own creative ways for the representation of their art pursuits, contributing to the treasury of the Ukrainian and global culture. The significance of the Ukrainian theatre in Strzałkowo is based on the notion that thanks to the mastery performance of amateur actors as well as the Ukrainian songs as supporting music for the theatrical plays, Polish society gradually became to acknowledge positively the Ukrainian National Republic and Ukrainians as the integral part of the European political, national and cultural environment. The article novelty is connected with introducing the information about amateur theatre circles of internal soldiers and critical reception of their activities. The practical significance of the research is that its results prove the longevity of the Ukrainian dramatic tradition.

Houthis in the Making: Nostalgia, Populism, and the Politicization of Hashemite Descent

During the autumn of 2012 the Hashemites (sāda) of a hijra I will call Kuthra, located southwest of the capital Sanaa, gradually rephrased their identity in political terms. Over the course of one year, most of them turned into Houthi supporters, prompting an equal and opposite reaction in the Qaḥṭānī Arabs of the village that defiantly adhered to the Islah party. Drawing on extended fieldwork in highland Yemen (2009–2013), this paper tackles identity politics by examining the subtle interplay of life and family stories, modes of livelihood and social institutions in a ‘glocal’ world.By exploring the family stories of two young sāda, the article argues that the rapid and unprecedented social and material changes that interested Kuthra during the last century laid the groundwork for nostalgic representations of a lost past. Building on this emotional foundation, Houthi discourse provided a political narrative capable of orchestrating nostalgic feelings into a coherent life project, thus providing a powerful tool for identity politics.

Patrick Keiller and „the problem of London”

British architect and filmmaker Patrick Keiller is the author of the crictially acclaimed Robinson Trilogy (London, Robinson in Space, Robinson in Ruins). Keiller’s unique style of filmmaking intentionally depicts places that are nearly or altogether devoid of human presence and activity. They are sites in which events might take place, and the events are seen rather as possible contemporary myths. Keiller’s film essays explore the notions of place, the production of space, the workings of memory and the feeling of nostalgia. His investigation into the idea of “drifting”, understood as free association in space, reveals Keiller’s fascination with the “built environment” presented in an innovate filmic way, combining imagery, sound and editing. The paper concentrates on the first part of his trilogy, where the author addresses the “problem of London”.

Chilean women in exile in Grenoble, France: interrogating understandings of exile and nostalgia

In this paper, I will focus on the narratives of the trajectories of three Chilean women exiled in Grenoble, France. First, I will dwell on the frames that sustain my reflection and analysis: the repositioning of exile as part of the repressive tactics of the dictatorship, the discussion about women, migrations, and refugees; and the possibilities of a counter-memory that highlights the plurality of exiles and their protagonists. Later, I will refer to a problematic that these narratives (re) illuminate and interrogate: the nostalgia of exiles and the attitudes and actions attributed to it. The narratives allow an adjustment of the argument that a desire for impermanence coupled with a feeling of nostalgia would prevent the “beginning” of life at destination. Equally, allow questioning the assessment of resisting nostalgia assumed as paralyzing, shadowing the locations of these women, and the conditions and possibilities of the reconstruction of their lives.

1968 as a Symbol

The year 1968 keeps capturing collective imagination on both sides of the Atlantic, as it serves as a convenient shortcut for social developments and upheavals throughout the 1960s. Even though in every country the events of 1968 unfolded differently, dramatic street protests demanding profound social changes define the dominant memory of this year on global scale. Violent suppression of street protesters by security forces form the dominant images of that year all around the globe, even if targets of the popular discontent were quite diverse. The year 1968 can also be seen as the pinnacle of idealistic efforts for progressive social change, which was replaced by normalization efforts induced by various methods in different contexts throughout the 1970s. As such, it is connected with feelings of nostalgia and lost opportunities especially for those who consider themselves to be progressives. But to what extent were the events of 1968 truly seminal? What were their lasting legacies?

Emoções, sentimentos de nostalgia e sofrimento psíquico: a dimensão dos afetos nas experiências e memórias de uma comunidade de migrantes

Resumo O presente artigo insere-se no bojo do debate em torno dos conceitos de memória, experiência, subjetividade e suas relações com a história oral. Com base em bibliografia especializada e na análise de fontes orais de migrantes/ocupantes da ocupação Fazenda Caveirinha, no final dos anos de 1970 e início de 1980 (na região noroeste da cidade de Goiânia-GO), identificamos e buscamos compreender a manifestação de uma recorrência de temporalidades comuns às falas de depoentes perpassadas por emoções e sentimentos de nostalgia e pelo sofrimento psíquico. Assim, as falas são analisadas como universo de valores e tradições, costumes e hábitos, experimentados e rememorados cotidianamente pelos sujeitos desse movimento social enquanto dimensões constitutivas e constituídas do e no mesmo.

The Significance of Ornaments and Motifs in Heritage Buildings of Alexandria, Egypt

Ornaments and motifs in architecture are elements that which added to an otherwise merely structural form, usually for the purpose of decoration or embellishment, it’s the language through which architecture communicates with a public. Utilizing those decorative elements and motifs is considered as an intellectual communication throughout the characteristics of architectural styles. The importance of the study is Identifying and understanding the range of ornamental design principles used in previous times which signifies the transformations of eras. Styles of ornamentation studied in reference to the specific culture, which develops unique forms of decoration, or modified ornaments from other cultures. Very few researches have been undertaken to study such decorative elements, hence the objective of the study was to understand, record and analyze the existing wide variety of decorative ornaments, which were spread in Alexandria, mainly two distinctive styles, which were the Neoclassic, and Art Deco styles. This was done through case studies where data was collected by using survey as a main method, throughout several heritage buildings during the late 19th century and the early 20th century of cosmopolitan Alexandrian era. The research discusses these abundant vast ranges of motifs used in ornaments and embellishments which have an importance to grant an identity to buildings therefore identity of the city, also to emphasize distinctive features of elements, sometimes with no function, but exist merely to be a work of art, considered as ramifications to the past, arousing people’s nostalgic feelings.

Gringos Mexicanos

This creative non-fiction piece written in Spanglish called “Gringos Mexicanos" stems from feelings of nostalgia and unrest within biculturalism and national identity. The piece centers around the degrees of belonging that two Americans siblings raised in Mexico have when contrasted to each other and to (Mexican or American) peer groups. The narrative voice in this piece provides a unique perspective broadening dialogue(s) on Mexican American identity.

How nostalgic feelings impact Pokémon Go players – integrating childhood brand nostalgia into the technology acceptance theory

ABSTRACT The augmented reality smartphone game Pokémon Go is one of the biggest commercial successes in the last years, posing the question concerning the factors contributing to the game’s success. An apparent distinction to other games is the strong brand Pokémon. We derive a research model based on the established theory of technology acceptance, which includes an established construct for nostalgic feelings – childhood brand nostalgia – and theorise on how it is related to beliefs about technology characteristics and the intention to play the game. For this purpose, we adapt one of the most prominent technology acceptance models for the consumer context and for hedonic information systems, the UTAUT2 model. Based on our model, we conduct a study with 418 active German players aged between 18 and 35. Our results indicate that the effect of childhood brand nostalgia on behavioural intention is fully mediated by the belief constructs. Thus, nostalgic feelings about Pokémon influence the intention of users through altering beliefs concerning Pokémon. We include nostalgic feelings in a technology acceptance model for the first time, therefore contributing to the theoretical advance in the IS domain. The results can be used to enhance the technology acceptance of newly designed products.

Anticipated nostalgia: Looking forward to looking back

ABSTRACTAnticipated nostalgia is a new construct that has received limited empirical attention. It concerns the anticipation of having nostalgic feelings for one’s present and future experiences. In three studies, we assessed its prevalence, content, emotional profile, and implications for self-regulation and psychological functioning. Study 1 revealed that anticipated nostalgia most typically concerns interpersonal relationships, and also concerns goals, plans, current life, and culture. Further, it is affectively laden with happiness, sadness, bittersweetness, and sociality. Studies 2 and 3 assessed the implications of anticipated nostalgia for self-regulation and psychological functioning. In both studies, positive evaluation of a personal experience was linked to stronger anticipated nostalgia, and anticipated nostalgia was linked to savouring of the experience. In Study 3, anticipated nostalgia measured prior to an important life transition predicted nostalgia a few months after the transition, and post-transition nostalgia predicted heightened self-esteem, social connectedness, and meaning in life.

Post-Aural Story-Telling and the Iranian Flaneurs: A Benjaminian Reading of Sina Dadkhah’s Yousef Abad, Street 33

The city has fascinated the street wanderer as the contemplation of modern life. Walter Benjamin’s conception of ‘flâneur,’ originally borrowed from Charles Baudelaire, could be taken as the true legacy of such fascination. There is always a sense of nostalgia being revealed through the flânerie of the city stroller passing through the metropolis, its shopping centers, and boulevards nourishing the mind of the bohemic storyteller with tales of post-aural experience and memory. Adapting Walter Benjamin’s concept of ‘flânerie’ in the streets of Paris to those of Tehran, the present paper attempts to explore Sina Dadkhah’s Yousef Abad, Street 33 in order to demonstrate the post-aural stories of the flaneurs in an Iranian milieu. This article focuses on the modern aspect of the Iranian contemporary society and explores the immediate consequences of modernity on the individual subjectivity of the characters represented in the novel. Considering Dadkhah’s novel as a product of the urban literature of a generation dealing with modernity of the arcades and other lures of the megapolis on the one hand and feeling of nostalgia for their past spirit on the other, the paper simultaneously reveals the close affinity between the subjectivity of the characters and Benjaminian tenets of flânerie and modern storytellers. The flaneurs represented in the novel, by rambling through and about the city of Tehran, are turning to be the storytellers who narrate their ‘post-aural’ experiences. In Yousef Abad, Street 33 the central characters are, as fully manifested in the paper, deeply engaged in the experiences of a modern sense of living while wandering to console their wistful longings despite the everyday challenges.

Crafting a legacy: investigating the retired athlete brand image

PurposeThe purpose of this paper exploratory study is to decipher sport consumer associations and sentiments connected to the brand image of retired athletes.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 14 sport consumers, who demonstrated an in-depth knowledge of throwback branding tactics and expertise in athlete brand promotion, participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews.FindingsThe findings indicate there are three prevalent themes across the present data (i.e. epoch epitome, athlete-team connection and off-the-field persona).Originality/valueWhile the proliferation of throwback merchandise and affinity for brands of retired athletes is evident, the internalization of associations related to retired athletes has escaped empirical investigation. Numerous questions concerning how specific facets of a retired athlete’s image (e.g. athletic skills or life off the field) activate nostalgic feelings, drive consumer loyalty and establish market permanence remain unanswered. The current study contributes to the understanding of the brand image of the retired athlete and the existing literature concerning athlete branding.

The Foul and the Fragrant in Urban Exploration: Unpacking the Olfactory System of Leisure

The world of leisure is a sensual reality, especially strong with the odours of what the French cultural historian Alain Corbin gave the name ‘the foul and the fragrant’, and their emotional affects. Yet, when it comes to unpacking leisure in a critical way the significance and complexity of the olfactory system of institutions and norms is largely overlooked in leisure studies. What is more, although smell is something that shapes our leisure and which we all instinctively recognise it buckles under the pressure of leisure studies obsession with the visual and the verbal. It is with this in mind that this paper, drawing on my own ethnographic research, offers a critical assessment of the ways in which the olfactory system emerges in a form of leisure known as urban exploration. One important way of defining urban exploration would be to say that its adherents have the need for authentic leisure experience which is, for the most part, unmediated by deodorisation. As well as being viewed as ‘deviant’, ‘abnormal’ or ‘heterotopic’ - and because of this - urban exploration takes advantage of the olfactory system as it is used to stimulate fears, pleasures and the broader imagination as a different ‘taste’ of life is experienced. Following an introductory episode that draws the reader into the world of a group of urban explorers that is oozing with the earthy smells of decay and the honey tang of piss, the first section of this paper employs the seminal work of Corbin to unpack how modernity, which never ceases to evolve and transform, continues to have a powerful influence on social space and the olfactory system. What emerges from this discussion, though, is the suggestion that it is the other side of modernity (the one that operates under a certain poetics of putrefaction) that is also the perfect breeding ground for inflaming both the magical and painful feelings of nostalgia by exploiting this olfactory system. Thereafter, using Tony Blackshaw’s concept of the mundane and spectacular, the paper goes on to expand this idea by arguing that ‘the foul and the fragrant’ play a crucial role in the creation of heterotopic social space and its essential performativity.

Pho as the embodiment of Vietnamese national identity in the linguistic landscape of a western Canadian city

ABSTRACT This article examines the relationship between Pho, a type of Vietnamese soup, and Vietnamese national identity in the linguistic landscape of Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). The study suggests that Pho has not only been used by Vietnamese restaurants in Edmonton for indexical function but also for symbolic evocation associating with Vietnamese cuisine and national identity. The data comes from three Vietnamese restaurants in Edmonton. A multimodal analysis of shop signs, window signs and notices, menus, websites, and other relevant semiotic resources is carried out using geosemiotics, a multidisciplinary framework that analyses the meaning of the material placement of signs and human actions in the material world. The results indicate that Pho has a dominant visibility in the linguistic landscape of three restaurants. Furthermore, the symbolic relationship between Pho and Vietnamese identity is evident in the way it is used to address the feelings of nostalgia among migrant patrons.

Negotiating representation: gender, city and nation in South East Asian transnational cinema

ABSTRACTThis paper aims to examine modes of representation in transnational films, which in their production, distribution and exhibition relate to two or more countries in South East Asia, particularly Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. The paper uses the concept of transnational cinema to explain how representations of gender, city and nation are constructed in this type of film. Through a textual analysis, the paper argues that Thailand, particularly Bangkok, is usually represented by male characters, while Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia are depicted by either female characters or male characters that are sentimental, and led by emotion rather than by reason. Masculinity in the films is related to capitalism, working life and public spaces, whereas femininity is connected to cultural tradition, family life and private spaces. Therefore, cities in the films are divided into two contrasting types. The first is a modern city, in which a lack of human intimacy is foregrounded; this is usually represented by Bangkok. The other is a romantic city, intended to evoke nostalgic feelings, typically cities such as Luang Prabang, Pakse and Mandalay. Though such cinema is transnational in terms of film funding, production and distribution, the narrative content itself maintains the motif of the national subject to the same extent as purely national cinema.

Hybrid Historical Memories in Post-Euromaidan Ukraine

This article attempts to measure the multilayered, diverse historical memories of contemporary Ukrainians, drawing on a cluster analysis of nationwide survey data collected after the Euromaidan. A significant minority of Ukrainian citizens still gravitate toward Soviet–Russian narratives. These are not merely copies of those embraced in Russia, however; they include ambivalent ‘hybrid’ feelings of nostalgia for the Soviet Union while supporting Ukraine's independence. This article argues that historical memories of Ukrainians in the southern and eastern regions are amorphous and heterogeneous, and that the architects of the Novorossiya project failed to distinguish Soviet nostalgia from Ukrainophobia and separatist grievances.

Homesickness and Displacement in Arab American Poetry

The aim of this study is to address the nostalgic elements found in the Writings of the Arab American poet Naomi Shihab Nye. Nye is an American Palestinian poet whose works are mainly concerned with revealing her father’s homesickness and detailing his lomging for his homeland and childhood memories. 
 
 The study makes an attempt to prove that the overwhelming nostalgia bonds the person with his lost homeland, and prevents him from forgetting his past; therefore’ these feelings stand as a barrier between him and his new world. Displacement and homesickness are the main elements that increased the nostalgia of the immigrants for their homelands. To emphasize this, the current paper analysed some of Nye's poems which handle the sever nostalgia that Nye's father started suffering since the early beginning of his arrival to San Antonio, Texas in the United States of America.
 
 Besides, the study argues that the nostalgic feeling for the homeland has been transmitted from father to son/ daughter, although the later doesn't have any memories in his/ her ex- homeland. Thus, Nye herself started feeling the nostalgia for a past she has never lived and to a homeland she has never seen.

Authenticity and nostalgia – subjective well-being of Chinese rural-urban migrants

ABSTRACTThis study investigates the subjective well-being of Chinese rural-urban migrants by examining the effects of nostalgia and perceived authenticity in the context of rural tourism. Founded on the concepts of tourist motivation and nostalgia and drawn on selected Chinese philosophical values, this study identifies the unique Chinese philosophical value of ‘old home’ as the key factor of motivation for migrants returning to rural destinations. Rural-urban migrants deem rural regions, as well as, mentalities, cultures, and environments in general, as their cultural and spiritual hometowns. The study also reveals that migrants pursue authentic rural destinations, which would have an emotional and memorable appeal, because it stimulates their nostalgic feelings. The study proposes the necessity of investigating Chinese issues through the lens of Chinese philosophical values and invokes an age-old value to understand their perception process of authenticity: ‘one can't have fish and bear at the same time.’ Returning to rural destinations improves these tourists’ subjective well-being because they achieve an important lifetime goal based on their traditional Chinese philosophical value of ‘searching for ancestral roots.’ The study suggests that preserving rural authenticity can improve the social and cultural welfare of hosting communities and the subjective well-being of tourists.

The Outcomes of War: A Study of the Character After the Crisis of War

World War II has brought suffering for all people; it has led people to have a nostalgic feeling. The war has many faces all of them are ugly, like death, separation, loneliness, violence, crime, betrayal, and disconnection and many other meanings. Michael Ondaatje in his novel The English Patient (1992) portrays a picture of the effect of World War II on four different characters; Hana a Canadian nurse, The English patient who is Hungarian, Caravaggio a Canadian-Italitan thief, and Kip an Indian sapper. They live together in one house, share their secrets and memories about World War II. Ondaatje brings them together to reveal their secrets and to heal their wounds of the war experience.