Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion

by Agnes Arnold-Forster

A dazzling history of a dangerous emotion, by acclaimed historian Agnes Arnold-Forster.

In Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion, Agnes Arnold-Forster 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 (when it was held to be an illness that could, quite literally, kill you) to the present day (when it is co-opted by advertising agencies and politicians alike to sell us goods and policies).

Nostalgia is a social and political emotion, vulnerable to misuse, and one that reflects the anxieties of the age. It is one of the many ways we communicate a desire for the past, dissatisfaction with the present and our visions for the future. 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. It is also a clear-eyed analysis of what we are doing now, how we feel about it and what we might want to change about the world we live in.

'Absorbing' - The Guardian
'Illuminating' - Vogue
'Fascinating' - Pandora Sykes
‘Beautifully compact, wide-ranging and enjoyable’ - TLS

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Psychology, Audiobook, Essays, Sociology, Science

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2024

Reviews

[Sarah ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion- Agnes Arnold-Forster


يستكشف الكتاب تطور النوستالجيا من مرض قاتل تقريبًا عند التعرف عليه لأول مرة في سويسرا في القرن السابع عشر، إلى يومنا هذا حيث تستغله وكالات الإعلان والسياسيون لبيع السلع والسياسات للجماهير.

كتاب جيّد ويستعرض في فصول طويلة ومقالية ومدعمة بأبحاث ودراسات تحول هذه العاطفة من شكلها الأكثر مأساوية إلى مجرد عاطفة استهلاكية لدغدغة مشاعر الجماهير العريضة.

[Rainbow Goth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. However, there were times when it became overly repetitive, which took away some of the excitement. Although a few aspects of the book were really fascinating, it was written in a dry manner, making it seem more like an academic paper. This isn't a negative aspect of the book, but it wasn't what I was expecting when I picked it up to read.

One of the most intriguing things I learned from the book was about how nostalgia was considered an illness that had the potential to kill people in the past. I had never heard of such a concept before, and it certainly left me with a lot to think about and because it was well referenced through I can read more about this as and when I wish.

What I especially appreciated about the book was its well-balanced approach. For instance, in the chapter that talked about politics, the author was able to demonstrate how both sides of the political spectrum use nostalgia as a way of attracting voters. This made the book all the more engaging and thought-provoking.


Overall, worth a read although it didn't captive me in the way I thought it would, which is probably down more to my expectations than the author's writing.

*Thank you to the author, publishers and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review.*

[Vlad · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5)

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion" by Agnes Arnold-Forster is a well-researched investigation into one of the most complex emotions. Starting with ‘homesickness’, she delves into the historical, cultural, and psychological dimensions of nostalgia. Arnold-Forster offers a nuanced analysis of common mi and sheds light on its meaning throughout history.

The book's strengths lie in its interdisciplinary approach, drawing from psychology, literature, and sociology to provide a richer view of nostalgia. Through research and engaging storytelling, Arnold-Forster traces the history of nostalgia from its origins as a medical diagnosis to its contemporary appearance in popular culture.

What sets "Nostalgia" apart is its recognition of the dual personality of nostalgia – both comforting and destabilising, equally personal and collective. Arnold-Forster navigates these complexities, addressing how nostalgia can improve our being with a sense of connection while also trapping us in utopian version of the past.

The book is rich in insights and analysis, which some readers may find too academic. A more structured story could enhance the book's accessibility for a wider audience.

Overall, "Nostalgia " is an interesting and educational read that offers fascinating insights into the human experience.

[bowiesbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Agnes Arnold-Forster writes a detailed, informative and accessible history about nostalgia. From its origins to the psychology of how it’s ‘treated’ and the cultural impact that nostalgia can have on society.

Each chapter takes a deep dive into how nostalgia can influence individuals as well as the collective, clearly outlined and incredibly well researched. It’s academic in a sense - with Arnold-Forster’s PhD in history being evident - however, it’s easy to follow along. There is a lot of skill in taking a topic that is often misunderstood or made more convoluted and making it digestible for the average reader.

Nostalgia is an insight into our brains, emotions and the culture landscape we live in. The books spans from the early days of nostalgia being a diagnosis for Swiss soldiers missing home, to the current, more modern use of nostalgia being used to sell products and provide a sense of escapism in an overwhelming political climate. After all, nostalgia is not what is used to be.

[Pádraig Mac Oscair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engaging, appealingly light archaeology of the term "nostalgia" and its different connotations over time from its initial diagnosis as a form of mental illness (which surely applies to anyone who misses the 00s that was old enough to remember them, ghastly decade) to present-day incarnation as a driving factor in politics both left and right as well the dominant element in popular culture. I can't but shake my suspicion that those who initially described it as a form of madness were on to something, be it in the misanthropy that animates disaster nationalism and the politics of resentment, the clinging to phyrric victories in years gone by that comprises much leftist counternarratives or the main cultural event of 2025 being a cashgrab Oasis reunion utterly without creative merit that saw most people conveniently forget they'd trundled on in irrelevance for at least a decade before breaking up in 2009.

[trestitia ⵊⵊⵊ deamorski]

şurdan geldim

[melb · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 👍

[kait · Rating 4 out of 5]

bought this at Daunt Books in Marylebone and read the first 80% of it on train journeys in Ireland/Scotland so ironically picking it up again to finish it this week made me very nostalgic! a great read!!

[Janine W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical and sociological overview of the concept of nostalgia. Read it as a part for my research for an essay. Reading it, inspired some new ideas for the essay.

[✶ nu · Rating 3 out of 5]

alexa play “ancient dreams in modern land” by marina

[Shane Rajiv · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doesn’t have anything insightful to say. Seems like a collection of everywhere the author saw nostalgia mentioned, like a thesis, but without the original ideas or depth.

[Dorin · Rating 3 out of 5]

“While nostalgia might be bittersweet, it is usually more sweet than bitter.” (p. 14)

Was very excited about this one, but the excitement died down quickly once I started reading.

Agnes Arnold-Forster begins her biography of nostalgia by grounding the reader in the clinical origins of the term. Coined in 1688 by Swiss physician Johannes Hofer, nostalgia was initially a physical illness, a form of extreme homesickness that could literally kill soldiers and sailors. This disease was believed to be caused by everything from atmospheric pressure to the repetitive clanging of bells. The meaning transitioned then from a biological sense to a psychological state. The author tracks how the meaning of nostalgia shifted into the realm of the mind, rather than just the body. As the world sped up (thanks to the Industrial Revolution), the longing for home became a longing for a time rather than a place. So once nostalgia became temporal, not spatial, it became susceptible to be exploited.

She also dwells a lot on different forms of nostalgia today. Many pages on the National Health Service (NHS), explaining how both the public and politicians are deeply nostalgic for the early days of the NHS. She also spends time looking at people who dress up as Vikings or Civil War soldiers (reenactors). In her view, this is a way to escape the present and these are people nostalgic for a specific time in history. Agree on the first part, not necessarily the second. The idea that reenactors are nostalgic could be stretched to the point of saying that historians are nostalgic, and that is simply false in most cases.

“Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.” (p. 117)

Arnold-Forster acknowledges the standard criticism towards nostalgia, that it is often linked to right-wing politics and slogans like “Make America Great Again.” However, she disagrees with the idea that looking back at the past is always a conservative trait. She suggests that nostalgia can be a tool for progress. By remembering a time that people perceive as being better, people can understand how to actually make the future better. I don’t think I agree.

“What the past was actually like makes no difference to whether or not, or how intensely, the people of the present feel nostalgic. Instead, current circumstances prompt people to find nostalgic echoes in the experiences of their youth. It is the present that is the trigger. ” (p. 122)

Why do I say that excitement died very quickly? Because nostalgia as a political tool (instead of just a history of nostalgia) would have made for a far more interesting read. Instead, the chapter on political nostalgia is short and unsatisfactory. There are a lot of studies on the subject. A lot of them using the Batcho Nostalgia Inventory, which the author mentions but only briefly. There is an excellent book differentiating reflective and restorative nostalgia by Svetlana Boym, only mentioned on the last page. Disappointing. Nostalgia is used politically more than ever. It shapes our perceptions, our politics, the way we view the world. More focus should be on how our own nostalgia is used against us.

“Throughout the twentieth century, most people thought that nostalgia was a fundamentally small-c conservative emotion, one indulged in by those who would rather avoid engaging with the sometimes messy modern world. It is, as one sociologist phrased it, ‘the latest opiate of the people’.” (p. 168)

“According to Kristen Ghodsee, a historian of post-communist Eastern Europe, this [communist] nostalgia is a product of the dramatic changes to daily life experienced by people living in the former USSR. While they might not want to revive twentieth-century totalitarianism, there is a desire for a collectively imagined, more egalitarian past. She argues that nostalgia for communism is a ‘common language’, one used by ordinary men and women to express disappointment with the shortcomings of parliamentary democracy and neoliberal capitalism today.” (p. 178)

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Nostalgia is one of the many psychological resources that we deploy to defend ourselves against the threat of change."

Though I think the subtitle is a little deceptive for the nuance and complexity Arnold-Forster presents this was a very provocative read. Her introduction is particularly interesting, beginning in delineating the trajectory of its history as an emotion, a political and commercial tool and even, in the nineteenth-century, a sickness. I loved how she pointed out that, depending on the ethnicity of the sufferer of nostalgia, it was either looked down upon as emotional fragility or praised for its spirit of nationalism and patriotism. I think Arnold-Forster is especially sharp in identifying the contemporary prevalence of the so-called "politics of nostalgia" and how dangerous it can be to get swallowed up by a version of the past that not only distracts us from the present but is also often not accurate.

I will say that the second half of the book was more than a little bit repetitive and that slowed me down in reading this. It is still an important read and was especially useful for research I am conducting.

[Mia Rupani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting! A bit repetitive

[James Chesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This cracking book tracks this complex and dangerous emotion from its first identification in seventeenth-century Switzerland, chronologically following up to the present day. Arnold-Forster has that wonderful ability of presenting complex ideas in a very palatable and readable way, and I loved the blend of social anthropology and history of medicine.

[CPE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agnes Arnold-Foster’s book, Nostalgia, has the sub-title “A History of a Dangerous Emotion.” The book takes us from the late seventeenth century up to the present day with Trump and “Make America Great Again.” At first, nostalgia referred to what we would call “acute homesickness”. Students, soldiers and others, uprooted from their home and transposed to another country, region or even town, would yearn for home so much that they would lose interest in food and drink, sometimes leading to their death. Remember, the world was different then: travel was much slower and far fewer people moved far from their birthplace. Being somewhere vastly different from home was profoundly disorienting and many just could not cope. Nostalgia then was about longing for a place, not a past time.

The author shows us how, as the general pace of life increased with canals, railways and then motor vehicles, the trauma of travelling lessened and the disease mutated. She does a thorough job of tracking how the medical fraternity (physicians, psychologists, psychoanalysts, etc) changed their views over time too. I was surprised how much doctors’ personal views can colour how they perceive a disease. For example, Freud, Jung and others fled the Nazis and resettled in another country. They were scornful of people who looked back to a better past because, for those doctors, the past in Nazi Germany was not better. They felt that patients should look forward to a much brighter future and not backwards to the past. As that generation of immigrant doctors was succeeded by newer generations, the medical perception of nostalgia changed again.

Nostalgia (as we know it today: the affectionate longing for a past time) and homesickness parted company in the early twentieth century but the nostalgia industry really took off after the 1960s, permeating everyone’s world. Do you have any Lilliput Lane models of olde-worlde buildings? Any artist’s Greatest Hits album? Do you prefer the music of your youth (whenever that was) to anything released after that? If so, you’re a victim of nostalgia marketing. The past was NOT all good: does anyone want to bring back typhoid and diphtheria? Workhouses and no unemployment benefit? Blatant, legal, gender inequality? No, me neither – so why do we unconsciously block out those aspects of past times? As Arnold-Foster shows us, nostalgic yearnings tell us much more about present-day anxieties than about a past that possible never existed.

I cannot deny that parts of the book dragged for me and I suspect the author has sometimes mistaken correlation for causation, e.g. “Nationalism was a precondition for the rise of nostalgia”, but I learned a lot. Did you know that the last enslaved person forcibly taken from Africa to the US didn’t die until 1940? She was Matilda McCrear. This is a thoughtful analysis of what I thought was just an emotion but turns about to be a huge business - and an easy way for politicians, advertisers and the media to manipulate us. I recommend reading the book to understand how they do this.
#Nostalgia #NetGalley

[WildesKopfkino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nostalgie hat was Heimliches. Schleicht sich an, flüstert vom „Früher war alles besser“ – und schon sitzt man in der Falle. Agnes Arnold-Forster gräbt in ihrem Buch tief in diesem Gefühl und zeigt, dass Nostalgie mehr ist als nur Retro-Romantik oder die Sehnsucht nach alten Zeiten. Sie erzählt, wie das Ganze im 17. Jahrhundert als regelrechte Krankheit begann und sich dann Schritt für Schritt zu einem Werkzeug für Politik, Werbung und Identität entwickelt hat.

Besonders spannend: wie geschickt die Autorin historische Forschung mit aktuellem Denken verbindet. Keine trockene Theorie, sondern lebendige Geschichten, die einem beim Lesen plötzlich vertraut vorkommen. Wer wissen will, warum Menschen an alten Idealen festhalten oder warum Retro-Designs so gut funktionieren, bekommt hier ordentlich Futter fürs Hirn – mit Witz, Haltung und einer Prise Melancholie.

Das Buch schafft es, kritisch zu sein, ohne den Spaß zu verlieren. Es zeigt, wie Nostalgie Angst, Macht und Hoffnung mischt, ohne gleich in kulturpessimistisches Gejammer abzurutschen. Genau das macht es so lesenswert.

Kleine Schwäche: Manche Beispiele wiederholen sich, und wer tief in psychologische Mechanismen eintauchen will, wird etwas zu kurz kommen. Doch unterm Strich überzeugt das Konzept – fundiert, unterhaltsam und mit viel Gespür für Zwischentöne.

Fazit: Ein kluges, charmant erzähltes Sachbuch über ein Gefühl, das jeder kennt, aber kaum jemand versteht. Vier Sterne für eine Reise durch die Vergangenheit, die ganz schön viel über die Gegenwart verrät.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Nostalgia isn't an emotion I've ever particularly given much thought outside of the times I'm hit with it. So, reading this, I didn't have any particular expectations.

This book is a fascinating dive into the history of nostalgia across centuries as it transformed from a disease to a benign emotion. I enjoyed learning the extent to which many aspects of history, culture and life - including imperialism, healthcare, politics and heritage - nostalgia is tied to. The discussion on heritage and historical re-enactors in relation to academic historians was particularly interesting to me - studying history and looking into heritage work.

I also really appreciated how well the book was structured - which a sense of both chronology and theme separating the chapters making everything much easier to follow. The writing style was similarly accessible and I felt that it allowed me to better follow discussions that dipped into aspects of science or history that I'm otherwise unfamiliar with.

All in all, a really interesting and enlightening read.

[Benjamin Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nostalgia by Agnes Arnold-Forster effectively walks the reader through the history of the titular emotion.

From its original definition as a disease that could sometimes kill, to our modern understanding of it as a mostly harmless (and sometimes beneficial) emotion, nostalgia has taken many forms under the study of multiple different sciences.

The reason I chose to read this book was because I was curious to learn about how nostalgia can affect the way people form and maintain their political ideologies. Nostalgia is not unique to just one side of the isle, but often times throughout history politicians will invoke an imagined “past greatness” to make the present seem to be in imminent danger. While there are certainly mountains of problems today, their solutions live in the future, not the past.

Nostalgia is natural and experienced by everybody. As we grow up it’s easy to idealize the past, but often times we forget that it had its own issues.

This ended up not really being a review of the book itself, but it’s my book account so deal with it.

I give Nostalgia by Agnes Arnold-Forster a B+

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nostalgia, A History of a Dangerous Emotion.

This was a very interesting read, written in the style of an academic paper, which is not a criticism, as I did enjoy how the author presented her research and ideas on nostalgia. However, I can understand that this may not be to everyone's taste, as it did feel a bit dry in certain parts.

I feel my only criticism is that it felt somewhat repetitive at times, and this caused me to lose some enthusiasm for reading. I blitzed through the first 2 3rds, but it became a bit of a slog for me to get through towards the end. This is not necessarily due to the content of the book, as whenever I would pick it up again, I found the content and ideas being explored to be incredibly fascinating. I just think it could have done with editing out some of the repetitive ideas a bit.

However, overall, I enjoyed learning about Nostalgia's history and how deeply embedded into human society and history this emotion has been and currently still is.

If you enjoy history, politics, psychology, and sociology, then I would definitely recommend this book.

[julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

really interesting book on the history of nostalgia, starting from 17th century switzerland, where nostalgia used to be a severe homesickness treated as a physical illness (some theorized that people leaving the swiss alps might suffer from a different air pressure in the flat lands, and suggested bringing patients to high towers as a cure), to nostalgia becoming a longing for past times (whether you experienced them personally or not). the author is explaining how nostalgia is used in marketing & advertising and as a political strategy, and what role it plays in LARP communities.

overall written in an engaging manner! some things i didn't agree with (the author cites the box office successes of the LotR and HP movies as an example for nostalgia for medieval settings) and at points it was a little repetitive. would recommend though!

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jumping on here to say: there is blatant plagiarism in this book, specifically on pages 157-58, and possibly elsewhere.

On pages 157-58 (hardback edition), the author lifts a couple of paragraphs directly from a 2019 Vice article, “Why Would You Ever Want to Live in 2019?” A. A.-F. cites the article, but it’s plagiarized language nonetheless (she’s omitted the description of actually visiting the couple’s home in June in the sentence about the Wardian case).

The egregiousness of this act makes one suspect that there may be other large chunks of plagiarism throughout the text. It also casts doubt on her other writings.

See the original text: https://www.vice.com/en/article/qvgw3...

This plagiarism has been reported to the Vice article author, Picador, and the University of Edinburgh.

[Kathryn Hallows]

As said previously it feels wrong to rate a non fiction book because of the vast information and work that has gone into these books. And also i would never choose to read them as they remind me too much of school and I find most incredibly boring (I’m truly sorry), a fiction girl through and through though I had to read for a book club. So this book was fine, but I fear if i took a shot every-time the word nostalgia is mentioned i would be dead as it is in every other sentence. It read chronologically through time which was interesting that it was considered a disease and I especially liked the chapters about 1970. But it was very repetitive and took a slog to finish. It also read a bit like my a-level essays with PEE (point evidence explain) which put me off a bit.

[abbii˙⋆☕︎ ༘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.75 ⭐️)
it’s an interesting book, very informative too. though there are parts where it gets too repetitive, for me at least. regardless there’s really interesting and/or fascinating information that i’ve learnt while reading— like how nostalgia was considered an illness and how nostalgia can give optimism for the future (though personally the future terrifies me..😭). the book is well balanced ranging from neuroscience to politics/ history, which i found very cool :) it’s a great read for someone who’s nostalgic and sentimental about almost everything (me), i just wished the writing style wasn’t as bland (?) as it is

[Alaation · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find this book especially compelling for someone in strategy/marketing/brand work (my domain).

Nostalgia is a double-edged emotional tool: wielded well, it can foster loyalty, evoke emotional bonds, and amplify identity. Poorly wielded, it can feel manipulative, trigger backlash, or appear disingenuous. Arnold-Forster gives you the “map” to navigate nostalgia’s uses and misuses.

If I were to criticise, I’d want more empirical case studies in business/branding (beyond cultural & political ones). e.g. how consumer brands used nostalgia over decades, where they failed, where they succeeded. However, that might be an unfair request of a book on the history of emotion.

[Alex Donaldson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on enjoyment I would’ve rather given this two stars. But that’s because this book wasn’t really what I was after, despite being an accurate to the title.

I thought it would have more commentary on the social / political / artistic effects of nostalgia. While this is referenced later in the book, the main thrust is a walk through the history of it as a disease in the 19th and 20th Century.

To be fair to Arnold-Forster, this is exactly what the title suggests the book would be about. I just don’t think it was what I was after. Is that my fault? Yep. Seems harsh to 2 star a book that is a decent essay on what it plans to discuss.

[Max · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could be 2.5 if GoodReads allowed that. I think the author did a rather poor job exploring nostalgia from any perspective, be it psychological, philosophical, or emotionally charged personal experience. The book is essentially a collection of anecdotes, history lessons, and literature reviews on random topics because it didn’t feel like anything was interconnected into a coherent narrative.

This is a pity because there is not a lot of literature on nostalgia and I was hoping that this book would be a fascinating exploration of such an interesting feeling.

I enjoyed the voice of the narrator in the audio version of this book.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to give credit to the author for trying to include a minimal amount political diversity. The book is still leftist like most other academic works, but compared to the usual one-sided onslaught, it at least tries to present some of the left's biases before proceeding to proclaim Donald Trump as the herald of end times. Since the author is British, she also brings additional perspective from their imperialist history, which actually adds quite a bit to the narrative. It's a decent read, not great, but there are good ideas to be studied here.

[Matt]

Much of the content here can be found in more comprehensive writings on nostalgia, but this book presents them in a variety of historical context arranged chronologically while also presenting various positive arguments for nostalgia. The book squares these critiques in a neutral stance; nostalgia is an emotion like any other, neither good or bad. Problems arise in the application of the emotion. This, the book's concluding argument once it reaches the present of nostalgia, is an interesting argument.