Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion

Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion is a fascinating and rigorous debunking of everything we thought we knew about nostalgia, blending neuroscience and psychology with the history of medicine and emotions. It explores the evolution of nostalgia from its first identification in seventeenth-century Switzerland to the present day, when it is co-opted by advertising agencies and politicians alike to sell us goods and policies. It is a lens through which to consider the changing pace of society, our collective feelings of regret, dislocation and belonging, the conditions of modern and contemporary work, and the politics of fear and anxiety.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 25 April 2024
Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion by Agnes Arnold-Forster is a captivating and rigorous debunking of everything we thought we knew about nostalgia. The book blends neuroscience and psychology with the history of medicine and emotions to explore the evolution of nostalgia from its first identification in seventeenth-century Switzerland to the present day. Arnold-Forster's fascinating history of this complex, slippery emotion is a lens through which to consider the changing pace of society, our collective feelings of regret, dislocation, and belonging, the conditions of modern and contemporary work, and the politics of fear and anxiety. She is a shrewd critic and delightful guide who carries weighty learning lightly, embracing everything relevant, from dubious neuroscience to cod sociology. The book has received praise from various publications, including the Guardian, the Telegraph, and the Times. Arnold-Forster's ability to explain complex ideas in simple language makes her a valuable non-jargon-spouting breed of academic.

Weight: 506g
Dimension: 241 x 162 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781529091366