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Nostalgia

A History of a Dangerous Emotion

Agnes Arnold-Forster

$46.99

Hardback

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English
Picador
25 April 2024
'Arnold-Forster belongs to that valuable non-jargon-spouting breed of academic who is capable of explaining complex ideas in simple language.' - The Times

In Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion, historian 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.

By:  
Imprint:   Picador
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 242mm,  Width: 162mm,  Spine: 27mm
Weight:   508g
ISBN:   9781529091366
ISBN 10:   1529091365
Pages:   272
Publication Date:  
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  ELT Advanced ,  Primary
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Dr Agnes Arnold-Forster is a historian at the University of Edinburgh. She has also worked at McGill University, King's College London, UCL, and at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary University of London. She is the author of two academic books, one about cancer and the other about surgery, and has written widely for academic, medical and mainstream outlets. She has also appeared on BBC Radio and TV, consulted for television dramas and documentaries, and worked closely with the Science Museum, the Wellcome Collection, and the Royal College of Nursing. She lives in London.

Reviews for Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion

This absorbing exploration of nostalgia raises questions about its slippery nature, and shows how it has been chillingly deployed in politics, from the cold war to Trumpism * Guardian * Arnold-Forster is a shrewd critic and delightful guide. Her prose is fluent but not flashy...She carries weighty learning lightly – embracing everything relevant, from dubious neuroscience to cod sociology.' * Telegraph * Beautifully compact, wide-ranging and enjoyable * TLS * Illuminating * Vogue *


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