Journal Facts

Journal
Auto/Biography
ISSN
0967-5507
Volume
14
Issue
3

Article Facts

Title
Nostalgia and Autobiography: The Past in the Present
DOI
10.1191/0967550706ab048oa
Authors
  • Hilary Dickinson (University of Greenwich, UK)
  • Michael Erben (University of Southampton, UK, mde at soton.ac.uk)
Pages
223-244

Article Links

Nostalgia and Autobiography: The Past in the Present

Hilary Dickinson (University of Greenwich, UK), Michael Erben (University of Southampton, UK, mde at soton.ac.uk)

DOI: 10.1191/0967550706ab048oa

Abstract

This paper explores the meaning of nostalgia as a personal experience that is undergone by many and that is a significant element in the formation of the autobiographical self. The concept of nostalgia is introduced and considered in terms of its history, cultural origins and emotional and psycho-social content. A small-scale qualitative empirical study conducted by the authors is outlined and the findings explicated and analysed. The dual aspect of nostalgia — that it is both an experience of pleasure and of regret — is very much a central theme of the paper; and from this we argue that nostalgic memories go toward the personal development of our normative evaluations and toward a general appreciation of the unfolding of selfhood in time.

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