Hybrid | Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be: Responding to change and loss

Please note that the time allocated for this colloquia will be devoted to discussion of the paper.

Speaker: Dr Sarah Fine (University of Cambridge)

About the Paper

In this paper I explore responses to change and to loss. Change and loss are unavoidable parts of life. In our work many of us are engaging directly and indirectly with themes related to change and loss, including for example anthropogenic climate change, loss and destruction of cultural heritage, technological change, and demands for social and political change. Some change/loss involves injustice. Some is part of justice being done. Sometimes justice is not implicated in any way, but something of value has been lost. Some cases may not involve the loss of something of value but nonetheless people may struggle with the change itself. Change can be disruptive, upsetting, unsettling for those who experience it.

Here I focus on nostalgia, which has been described as an emotional response to change and loss. Nostalgia is usually understood as bittersweet, involving a longing for something that does not exist here and now. I consider whether nostalgia might be utilized for positive social and political ends. In this way I seek to contribute to conversations about the ethics of social and political change, while also reflecting on the importance of change in and for philosophical methodologies.

About the Institute

The Institute brings together political and legal theorists from Law, Political Science and Philosophy and organises regular colloquia in terms 2 and 3. If you would like to be added to the ILPP mailing list please contact us at laws-events@ucl.ac.uk